February 13 Hoi An to Hue

A very bad day for me.  The extreme humidity sapped all of my energy by the time I finished breakfast (toasted bacon, tomato and cheese sandwich) and left me in such a miserable mood that nothing seemed right and nothing could be truly appreciated.  I was soaking wet and feeling rotten until mid afternoon when I sat in the shade and a breeze instead of touring the citadel and the palace, neither of which interested me greatly in any event.

Our first stop was at Marble Mountain where we toured a "factory" that makes marble sculptures.  They had some beautiful pieces but most we so large that it would cost a small fortune to ship them home.  Most of the group climbed the 300 steps to the top of the mountain but I couldn't even begin to consider that in the heat and humidity so I looked in a few shops, mainly because it was the only way to get the owners to leave me alone, and then sat with the remainder of the group and waited.

Next stop was China Beach where the US forces used to come for R&R and other things.  I don't think anyone was very impressed and we only stayed a few minutes.

The weather also hampered photography because it was so foggy that not a great deal could be seen from the heights of the hills as we climber higher and higher above the sea.  Even China Beach didn't appear scenic or inviting.  When we stopped for a toilet break at the top of the pass, amidst remaining American bunkers, the women hawkers literally attacked us like vultures.  They were, by far, the most aggressive and obnoxious that we have encountered in Vietnam.  Vu said later that they just can't be controlled.  One of them grabbed money out of my hand when I was buying a beer and only when Vu came over was I able to recover it and get the change she owed me.

I don't know where it was that we stopped for lunch but I had seafood soup which was quite different than previous ones i have had but also very good.  I ordered grilled clams but am not sure whether I received clams or mussels.  The shells looked like mussel shells but the meat looked clams.  Whatever they were they were excellent and I was even able to handle the coriander because it didn't completely dominate the taste.

After the visit to the Citadel we checked into the Green Hotel in Hue.  Very nice hotel and very elaborate lobby.  My room is a reasonable size and has sort of a balcony.  Once I got the door open I had an awful job getting it closed again and even now I am not sure that it is locked.  Shortly after getting sort of settled in I went out to see if I could find a place close to buy some beer more cheaply that it is in the mini bar.  Boy did I get lucky.  Just around the corner I found a small shop and was able to get a local beer (Huda) for $0.37 per can (compared to $1.40 in the mini bar), the cheapest I've found yet. 

When I got back to my room my key card wouldn't turn the power on and the phone wouldn't work.  After several failed calls to the front desk someone came up to check  but she couldn't do anything so she sent for another woman.  The second one took my key out and replaced it with a piece of cardboard that seemed to do the trick.  Once the power was back on she removed the cardboard, replaced it with the key card and then also replaced the telephone.  Everything is working fine now but I shudder at the thought of having to go through it all again in the morning.

I copped out of the group dinner again tonight because I couldn't face the noise and also the idea of dressing up in costumes for a "royal dinner" was too far removed from my mood.  I think that perhaps I hit a bit of a wall today and fear that the remaining week will be an endurance test for me.

Tomorrow we are supposed to be touring a lot by motorcycle but I haven't decided if I will go or not.  I don't particularly want to go to the pagodas, etc. and also don't think we will see much from the back of a motorcycle.  I am debating trying to arrange a boat trip and/or another cyclo tour.  Will see how I feel in the morning....