Welcome to Hue

I arrived in Hue last Saturday, less than a week ago, yet it already feels much longer. This is in part due to the sheer number of people I've met in such a short time, in part due to busy-ness, and another part due to all the amazing new food that I've been discovering. I'm sure I'll post soon about Hue food, but as a teaser, let's just say that I think of Hue as the Queen of Bánh!

I will be living in Hue until May, save for a few weeks here and there that I hope to use to discover some of more Vietnam. My volunteer work here consists of helping out at Thanh Tien Village. This is a village about fifteen minutes away from Hue center by motorbike, or half an hour by bicycle. The weather here is pleasantly cool when compared to the rest of the country which makes bike riding enjoyable rather than a sweaty torture. I rented a bike on my second day here and hope to ride it until the weather changes and forces me to conquer my motorbike riding fears. Luckily, I have at least a month or two before that happens and the roads surrounding Thanh Tien are perfect to practice on: deserted, surrounded by rice fields, and straight. 

Hue city itself is gorgeous. A World Heritage site, it is a breath of fresh air when compared to other big Asian cities.

I included the map to help my description. As I understand it from my bike rides exploring it's tiny streets, the city is built on the old royal palace grounds. It's surrounded by a moat and large wall. On the inside there's a second wall and moat. In between the two walls, there's a giant park. Mostly the park is much welcomed green grass and large trees, in my experience, another rarity in big Asian cities. Somewhat strangely, interspersed in around the part are different war remnants such as bomber planes and giant cannons. Still, the greenery is a lovely place to read or play the ukulele. Once you breach the second set of walls, the city feels almost European. Most streets are narrow and one-way which makes navigating my bicycle feel much safer and less stressful. Each street has it's specialty, whether it be karaoke bars, men's coats, or laundry machines to name a few! I've spent most of my afternoons discovering the city and enjoying it's little nooks and crannies. It's small enough that I'm never quite lost. Plus, if I do find myself confused, finding one of the great walls is never difficult and then it's just a matter of following it to an exit! 

View from the bridge over the moat on the way towards the first wall. Big flag!

Kids playing soccer in the park between the two walls,
the wall you can see is the smaller of the two.

The other great allure to Hue is the beautiful Huong river that separates the old Hue (that I just described) from the new Hue (where my hotel is). The river is clean enough that there's no strange smell lurking about and it abounds in small mussels which are used in a yummy local dish: Hên. Another great perk is that the whole river-front on the old city side is developed into another big park with the occasional tasteful restaurant thrown into the mix. At night part of the boardwalk is transformed into a nice low-key night market where I've taken to hang out just to watch the antics of the local highschool kids. Some things never change and seem to transcend country and culture! :)

View of the old Hue from across the Huong river. The bridge lights change color!

 

Hue's nightmarket

So far I've been charmed by this little city. The weather alone made me fall half in love on first sight. Add in the parks, the people, the sweet tea, and the yummy spicy food and you've got one happy Aki! Oh and did I mention that there's a beautiful, deserted, pristine beach only half an hour away by motorbike? No? Well here's a look!