We woke up to a buffet breakfast. After, a delicious meal, we said goodbye to Hoi An, and went on a long bus ride to the Marble Mountains, a beautiful landscape covered with trees, ancient temples and lots of fog. The time at the mountains was spent exploring caves. However due to the torrential downpour, the abseiling session was cancelled due to health hazards. We learnt about the Buddhist monuments surrounding the cave system, the history and culture of the temples and admiring the natural beauty of the caves. The caves were also used as hideouts during the Vietnam war, and as a refuge for injured people. After soaking in an awesome view of the local town from the top of the mountain, we then had a lunch under a improvised shelter, eating the traditional Banh Mi of Vietnam.
After the wet and tiring cave explorations, we sat a 3 hour trip bus trip to Hue (Way), through some alarming, opaque fog. The day at Hue began with a terrifying and awkward (the sitting conditions were cramped) cyclo ride. We saw more of the insane traffic in Vietnam, where people drove through red lights, cut close to each other and pushed food carts through heavy traffic without much care in the world.
The ride ended at the Forbidden City, home of the Vietnamese royal family during the 16-20th century. We visited the throne room, filled with intricately carved wood coloured red and gold. We learnt of a the history of the Imperial Family and a battle that had taken place during the Vietnamese War, which had destroyed and sacred the Forbidden City. We learnt that this area was the starting point and staging ground for the Vietnam War.
The day ended with a “Royal Dinner”, where everyone was dressed up in traditional, fancy garbs, a King and Queen were crowned for the evening (by being randomly selected out of a hat) and everyone was served a meal of beautifully decorated meals, whilst the rest of the group was forced to serve the “royals” drinks. We were also entertained by local professional musicians playing traditional Vietnamese instruments. We are looking forward to a more thorough exploration of Hue tomorrow by bicycle!
Daniel I and John Z
