05 July 2008 - Hue

Set off for Hue which is a 4/5 hour coach ride away. About 20 mins into the journey we stop off at Marble Mountain. Not sure what this place is about and why we are even visiting the place. We walk up the 157 steps (I counted them) to the pagoda and caves and take a few pictures before we head off again. The coach takes a route over the mountain. It is a windy road all the way up and our nutter driver is over taking slow trucks on blind corners!! It is very frightening. There were quite a few near misses.








We stop off at the top of the mountain to get a view and as we get off we are instantly bombarded by all these little old ladies trying to sell us junk. One lady on our tour actually runs away from an old lady and I immediately run after her!

I was informed by a mate before I left the UK about a motorcycle tour conducted by a place called Cafe on Thu Wheels here in Hue. When we get into town I immediately go out to find this cafe. It's a cool little cafe and the lady who owns it , Thu, is a complete nutter, but in a good way. I inform her I want to book onto the tour the next day.

In the evening I meet the rest of my tour group and inform them that I am going on a motorbike tour the next day. Everyone wants in so we all go back to Thu's and book on....I should get commission for this!!

It is our tour leaders birthday today. We all go out for a meal and as a surprise I get a cake for him and get the restaurant to put candles on it. All the lights are dimmed and the cheesiest birthday song comes on. It's all good.



We go for a few drinks afterwards at the DMZ bar, then a few of us splinter off for a few more drinks elsewhere. When we get back to our hotel we find it has all been locked up. We have a bit of a panick, but then see a doorbell and someone lets us in.