Tuesday Hue

Tuesday, September 06, 2016
Hue, Vietnam
Very hot day in Hue today, 31 feels like 48 so I was hesitant about getting out and about. First stop DMZ bar for my coffee heartstarters. When I pulled up aand parked a local cowboy approached me, someone I bumped into yesterday who help guide me from the servo to DMZ when I got lost. He said "you want girl?" I said no I'm too old for that, "only 3 minutes away" he said, no thanks buddy. This has only happened to me twice in VN both times in Hue.
So I joined the throng along Le Loi street and over the "French" bridge . There are two bridges, one the American and one the French. It was so damn hot I knew I was going to suffer but I was determined to find this pagoda containing the holy Austin Princess. Last time I went there was by boat and I didn't have a good map this time but I tootled along till I saw the sawmill (see photo) and I thought I'd gone past it so I turned back. No pagoda that way so I retraced my path and found a huge crowd of tourists at the foot of 100 steps. I had to wait 10 minutes while they chatted in Chinese and took 100 selfies then staggered up the steps. In the Pagoda I saw a big crowd being lectured by a guide and caught a glimpse of a car, at last I was there.
I waited till the crowd dispersed and drank water and panted in the shade until I got my chance. Me and another guy got a personal lecture about the monk who burnt himself to death in 1963 in protest at the South Vietnamese governments treatment of Buddhists. He drove down to Saigon in this very car and was doused in petrol and was burnt without a whimper . If you look closely at the photo you will see on the back wall a copy of this famous photo. The guide told us that when Thich Quang Duc was cremated later his heart refused to burn. This seems to be reasonably accurate but he added the kicker that the Americans tried to burn his heart at 4000 degrees but it still wouldn't burn. His charred heart is now a relic in another Pagoda, maybe next time I will track it down.
  I staggered back to the scooter and found I had lost the parking card. I went through my pockets over and over and nothing. My head was spinning by this time and I was about to drive off leaving the attendant looking disgusted but I thought I'll look again and lo and behold it suddenly appeared in a pocket I'd looked in at least 3 times before.
I got home and collapsed aching all over and slept off and on for hours.
Tonight feeling recovered I went looking for Serenity Resto which got top ranking on Tripadvisor, not sure if Bourdain went there but it was down a grotty little laneway and turned out to be one of the best meals I've had here. A complimentary tomato salad with Dalat wine, then seafood spring rolls and caramelised pork ribs with rice aand a glass of French wine for a grand total of 350,000 which is about $20. 
Tomorrow a car to Hoi An for $55 US, see you there.
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