I've finally left Hanoi and started the journey south which will eventually land me in Ho Chi Mihn City (Saigon). It was a toss up between the train and the bus for the 13 hour trip to Hue. I went with the train, figuring a bed should be more comfortable than a semi-reclining chair. It probably was. Unfortunately, the metal wheels on the track were so loud that I hardly slept. Joining me in my soft-sleeper cabin for four were a Norwegan couple (Bjorn and Eleanor) and a Vietnamese couple. Ok, so how's your math? That's one extra person, and Bjorn and Eleanor, both clearly in their sixties, didn't look like the types that would try to hustle Vietnamese train conductors. Personally, I would have let the old 'pay-for-a-seat-and-then-share-a-bed' scam slide but the Norwegans were of a different opinion. Within 20 minutes the conductor had brought our cabin down to its proper occupancy and we turned out the lights.

Arriving in Hue (pronouced Hway) at about 11:00am, I booked a hotel ($5), dropped my bags, and rented a bicycle. For 10,000 dong (about 70 cents US) I didn't expect much. My expectations were 'right on the money' so to speak. It did have a basket for my gear though, and the chance to check out some sights at my own pace made up for the increasing discomfort of sitting on a 3 inch wide seat. I tooled around the citadel and the Forbidden Purple City most of the afternoon. The architecture was impressive and made for some excellent photos.

The blisters on my feet seem as if they will be constant companions for this trip. At least wearing sandals all day gives them a bit of air. A kid on the street actually offered me a shoe shine. "Very cheap!" he assured me. It better be cheap since the only thing on my feet is a couple of straps of leather. No thanks. Having decided on spending only one full day in Hue, my next decision was between the Perfume River boat tour and the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Having seen the DMZ in Korea and not being a huge fan of military history I went for the boat tour. I booked it through my hotel for the rock bottom price of one US dollar. But, as with most bargains here in Vietnam, there was the inevitable catch. We had to pay admission at each of the five pagodas and tombs (three were worth it, two weren't). Also two of them were so far from the river I had to hire a moto for the trip. And of course there was the usual gang of high pressure vendors selling film, water, postcards, beer, cigarettes, you name it. The trip ended up costing significantly more than a buck, but in the end it was still worth it to spend the day being ferried from one exotic ruins site to another. It would just have been nice to know the total cost before you find yourself five miles down the river with no choice of turning back.

We got back to port about 3:00pm. I went and snagged my laundry from a place between a poolhall and a dogmeat restaurant then went and got some food (not at the dogmeat restaurant). Interestingly, there was a little mutt sitting in the alley not far from the sign reading 'Dogmeat restaurant 5m->'. I tried my best to coax him infront of the sign so I could get what would surely have been a hilarious picture. No such luck. He didn't seem to trust humans too much. Can't imagine why. I tracked down a different eating establishment and got some grub. While I was eating, a couple of local hoods thought it might be fun to play harass the tourist. They asked me for Canadian money and on finding out I was without any they suggested we fight. These two little thugs probably didn't even match my weight combined and (at least in my appraisal) wouldn't have been much of a contest, but I was still a little relieved when Hng, the 16 year old waitress at the restaurant, came to my rescue by telling them to bugger off. I'm comfortable enough with my masculinity to feel ok about being defended by a 5'4" Vietnamese girl but it did sting a little when she later kicked my ass at pool.

And thats about it for Hue. I'm booked on the 2:00pm bus to Hoi An tomorrow so I'm just going to spend a leisurely morning around the hotel then set off. The days have all been scorchers since I arrived and my skin is getting nice and bronze. I've also noticed a nifty benefit provided by my new 'Rolex' watch (actually its technically a 'superlative chronometer'; says so right on the face): The residue left on my wrist by the cheap metal is almost identical in color to the rest of my now tanned arm and hand. No embarrasing white strip to worry about when I take off my watch. And I only paid 15 bucks for the thing. Unbelievable!