The Wet Season in Hue – 20 – 22nd October 2008

The ubiquitous flashing eyed swans – I still have not had a ride on one! Every city with a river or lake seems to have them but they never seem to be in operation.

One of the streets has many of these marble figures inlaid in the ashphalt

These icebuckets, lined up to catch the rain leaking through the roof in a cafe, caught our attention. The bemused cafe owners may be wondering still about the strange foreigners who took multiple photographs of the icebuckets.

The Wet Season in Hue – 20 – 22nd October 2008

After a considerable amount of deliberation Nick and I decided to begin our travels by flying to Danang and then taking the train up the coast to Hue. I was in Hue not long ago but really felt that I had not had enough time to see some of the things that interested me and Nick had not been there on her previous trip to Viet Nam. We were both also keen to take the train along this part of the main line because it has the reputation of being the most beautiful train journey in Viet Nam. We were warned a local VSA staff member that the area was experiencing severe flooding. He thought that our choice to go was extremely foolish. When did that ever stop us!

The train trip was great but our views were somewhat hampered by rain as we went along the coast. In Hue we only had one morning of heavy rain and lots of fine periods. When it poured we were able to install ourselves in an open-fronted café and had front row seats to watch the action as the streets became increasingly flooded. With determination people on motorbikes, bicycles, cyclos and in cars launched themselves into the water that rapidly rose above their knees and exhaust pipes. Increasing numbers of vehicles succumbed to the elements and had to be pushed along the road. Incompetence with my new camera nearly drove me to distraction as I failed again and again the capture the scene but I one shot that I am pleased with.

One of the things that had particularly drawn us to Hue was its reputation as the arts capital of Viet Nam. We sought out galleries around the city but, apart from a few wonderful exceptions, we were quite disappointed. Most of the “art” is mass-produced, poorly executed dross. It is really sad that so many artists, some of whom have real talent, are producing such poor quality, repetitive work. We did manage to find a couple of small galleries selling some interesting things and Nick bought a large piece of pottery decorated with a very interesting line drawing. It was not until after she had chosen it that we discovered that it was done by one of Viet Nam’s leading artists, Cuong. We also enjoyed some of the contemporary sculptures that abound in the parks alongside the river and purchased some lacquer jewellery from an interesting young woman.

We followed our shopping by a bike ride, in the rain, around the city. Amongst other places we went to an amazing island in the river. I could not use my camera because of the rain but the image of biking down a narrow tree lined lane while children, clad in raincoats the colors of bright jellybeans made their way home for lunch, will stay with me. What a feast for the senses. To the distant sound of a funeral drum we biked along the narrow earth road which was peppered with deep puddles. Wet chickens scattered as we approached, ‘san pan’ style boats could be glimpsed between the tall bamboo, children called out cheerful greetings, everywhere there were little multi-hued alters festooned with ceramic horses and the warm rain released the smell of damp earth. The houses, many set in beautiful gardens, were great.. With roofs deeply encrusted with the dark green moss that suddenly appears during the wet season and painted in rich jades, deep browns and deep blues they were a pleasure to set eyes on.

We made our way over the river and into the citadel but unfortunately ominous gurgles and squelches in my guts confirmed that something that we had eaten or drunk in our travels had not been safe. It meant that I suddenly had to retreat to the hotel but Nick continued to explore for the rest of the afternoon. Sadly the lurgy crept up on her that night – she was not so perky the next morning!

Our flight out of Hue and into Hanoi was fantastic. On take-off and on landing we had great views of the complex patchworks and brown serpentine rivers of the Viet Nam flatlands. We were pleased that despite the predictions of doom and gloom that we had chosen to go to Hue.