A Hue we go

It was with a heavy heart that we left beautiful Hoi An, we said goodbye to all our new friends, strode the river walk to the ancient city and took one last dip in the pool at the River Palms Villas.  [Had to green up my beard for the trip.]  With excitement in the air we headed north.

There is a bus service that leaves Hoi An for Hue, picks you up at your hotel, stops along the high mountain passes, stops at Marble Mountain, stops at a virtually deserted beach and finally drops you off at your hotel in Hue.  All for $37.50. Di and I were the only passengers.

Our tour guide Tim

High above the ocean and beach near Da Nang

Marble Mountain is a huge natural rock formation that has been quarried for hundreds of years and contains a plethora of natural caverns to explore.  Big studios line the streets where immense statues carved from the quarried marble stand sentinel, These can be purchased and shipped anywhere in the world for a princely sum.  We took the elevator to close to the summit where we hiked and crawled through tiny passages into caverns that have been carved out of the rock from millennia of erosion.  After climbing then descending hundreds of stairs in the unrelenting heat we were ready to get back in the air conditioned bus and resume our journey.

My elevator doesn't go all the way to the top.

Dianne emerging from a small hole in the rock to enter a small cave

Looking up at the opening

Just a small sample of the stairs we had to climb

one of the many bells that toll out over the valley

I have no idea how the monkey fits in

Notice the swastika in behind the goddess

The switch back roads that hug the coast and climb the mountain were a sight to see.  We stopped at a near deserted beach and traveled on narrow country roads to see the covered bridge.

Met an Italian girl all alone on the otherwise deserted beach

There are only three covered bridges in all of Vietnam and

so far we have found two of them

We arrived in Hue[pronounce whey] and after checking in we started to explore the ancient capital of the last emperor of Vietnam.  Spent a scorching 40c day exploring the vast citadel complex and the imperial enclosure.  The market in Hue was perhaps the most impressive market we've yet to explore in Vietnam.  The only thing it lacked was a giant food court like the one in Hoi An where at every opportunity we enjoyed one of their fresh fruit smoothies.

Took a dragon boat ride over the Perfume River to the ancient citadel

The bridge over the moat surrounding the citadel

Entrance to the imperial city

The tree is hiding behind Dianne.

Can you find it?

the citadel has 20 km of walls

After a few days of exploring Hue we took a trip to Paradise cave.  On the trip we crossed the DMZ, and the Vin Moc Tunnels where a coastal village literally went underground to survive the relentless American bombings.  Living and working deep underground whenever the sounds of B52 bombers filled the air.

This is the site of a little known Catholic church miracle.

The Lavang people were converted to Christianity and suffered terrible

persecution.  The church was destroyed and they were forced

to hide out in the swamps were they were decimated by disease

and malnutrition.  The Virgin Mary appeared to them with the babe 

in her arms and encouraged them to be strong in their faith

and showed them how to make medicines and nutritious foods

from  indigenous flora and fauna.  She appeared to them many times

and the tale is still fresh today as she is revered locally. 

Finally after a four hour bus ride we came to the Paradise cave site.  The cave complex was only discovered in 2005 when some hunters noticed a rush of cool air coming out from behind some dense bushes.  Cutting through the undergrowth they found the mouth of a giant tunnel.  After some exploration they found Paradise cave.  A cavern that stretches an incredible 31.5 km underground.  Only the first km is developed with a boardwalk but for a fee and an indemnity waiver you can spelunk the rest of it but only with an expert guide.

stalagmites and stalactites that have taken thousands if not millions 

of years to develop

Two intrepid explores 

An engineer from Saigon who spoke good English

He and his family were great companions on the trip

A shout out to the people of Vietnam.  They have some irksome habits like never looking where they're going and they throw their trash wherever but they are unfailingly polite and friendly.  They always are ready with a smile and stop and help when you stand on their confusing streets and stare at a map. Love them.