Today we traveled by bus to Hue. The scenery on the trip was amazing. We were going up and down winding roads on mountains of greenery. We stopped at the top of the highest peak in Vietnam to take in the view and get some good pictures.
Once in Hue, we did a motorbike tour. Each of us had our own driver and they took us all around Hue. First we went to the Imperial City. It is the palace where kings and their families lived. The architecture was influenced by ancient china. Each king could have as many wives as they wanted. Some only had one and others had up to 104 wives. There is a home for just the king, one for the wives and a different one for the children. There are many other buildings too, such as a school for the children, living area, playing area and so on. The grounds were only for the king's family, no one else could enter. The children did not have to leave the grounds, everything they needed was there.
Next, we took the motorbikes around town and saw the place where they used to lock the elephant and tiger in a courtyard together and have them fight. They would do it for entertainment, but also to train the elephants for the war. The elephants always won because the tiger's teeth and claws were cut before the start of the fight.
We also stopped by this shop and a Vietnamese lady taught us how to make incense. We all got to try.
We saw lots of rice feilds and many beautiful views over the river.
It was great riding around on the motorbike. It gives you a new perspective of Vietnam. Instead of trying to avoid the motor bikes, I was riding one.
After the motorbike tour, we went for dinner at this place known for it's amazing pancakes. For dessert we had Vietnamese pancakes and they were delicious. It is like a crispy crape folded in half with fresh fruit inside. I had mango in mine and coconut ice cream and chocolate sauce on the side. It was bloody brilliant as the Brits say.
After dinner we went to a local bar called Brown Eyes. It was a good time. The staff were fun and played Jenga with us until the place filled up. Plus they kept bringing us free shots which was a bonus. It was fun dancing with the locals and seeing what they do on their nights out.