Day 244- These night buses never get any easier but this one must be one of the longest we have ever had to endure. At 6.30am we pulled over at a restaurant in the middle of nowhere and struggled up and off the bus to find a plastic chair inside, we had a feeling the meal was inclusive from reviews that we had read. This was pretty much confirmed when we are all given the same meal of noodle soup and all the Vietnamese seemed to know that they should sit at a particular table. Either way we were not charged for it and we were fed. Back on the bus we wandered in and out of an uncomfortable doze and before we knew it we were yet again coming to a halt outside a cafe. It was 11:30 by now- lunch time. We did not expect another free meal but once everybody sat themselves around specific tables we started to assume we hit the jackpot. A tray of rice with chicken bits and veg was served to us and yet again it was included, fantastic. It wasn't until 2:30pm that we finally managed to arrive into Hue city and as usual our heads were called for by taxi drivers, one guy managed to follow us so we agreed to let him take us to a hotel. We checked in and set out straight away again, we wanted to go on a tour of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) which was the old border of South and North Vietnam and where a lot of the fighting took place during the Vietnam War. So we did some shopping around to find the best price and then went for a nice walk along the river. We went to look for a pagoda and once we arrived it wasn't as we expected, it was very run down and quite a small complex so didn't spend much time there. On the way back I spotted a woman roasting some belly pork so we pulled over to see what she was doing with it. All she said was that it should be eaten with beer and its sold by 100 grams. We thought this was a great idea so ordered 100 grams and some beer (Eve stuck with fruit juice). She came over and then showed us how we roll the pork in a lettuce leaf along with another leaf, cucumber, peppercorns and chilli salt. They were delicious, so tasty and then she asked if we wanted some clams that she had just took to another table. The men at the table gave us a taste and we snapped up her offer. Within minutes she brought over a huge tray of garlic oil clams. For one pound each we feasted on this amazing food and I forgot to mention we were sitting on little chairs by the side of the river and watched the locals pray to their shines and burn incense. It was a great evening and we just sat and people watched for ages and didn't see a single Westerner pass all night. It was getting dark so headed back and then paid for our tour the next morning and also our bus to Hoi An the day after that.

Day 245- The pick up from our guesthouse was at 6am and included breakfast so that was one less thing we had to thing about. A guy on a motorbike pulled up and checked our ticket along with two other people who had just turned up. He put us in a taxi and sent us around the corner to a hostel where we picked breakfast from a standard menu. Once we finished we were ushered into a mini bus and set off for the DMZ. The first stop was after 1 hour 20 minutes at Dong Ha town and was actually to pick up our English speaking guide, here she informed us that it was a further hour drive to the first stop. On the way she told us a lot of information about the build up to the Vietnam War and an introduction to the sites we were visiting that day. The leader of the North Vietnam communist movement was Ho Chi Minh and his followers cut a path down the Laos/Vietnam border Southwards through South Vietnam toward Saigon. The start of this trail is where we visited first and their was a memorial to show the start of it. From here we drove to Ke San combat base which was a US military base in South Vietnam where American troops were stationed throughout most of the war. Here our guide showed on a map the routes of attack and some of the clever strategies employed by the Vietnamese. Afterwards we were allowed to roam free and investigate some of the historic tanks, planes and helicopters left behind. We stopped by at a local village where the guide explained how local villagers were involved in the war and then we were driven back to Dong Ha for dinner. It was just a basic lunch and we got chatting to a couple of girls from the UK. Next up was the long drive Northwards and across the DMZ itself, here drove across the Hien Luong Bridge which crosses the Ben Hai River (the border line) and we also passed several memorials dedicated to the soldiers who lost their lives fighting for their country. Finally we came to the headline spot, the Vinh Moc tunnels. These tunnels form a huge underground system where Northern Vietnamese and communist fighters hid during the war and planned a lot of the attacks on the US forces and therefore a main target for US bombers. Walking around the area we spotted huge craters left behind from the conflict and we were shown around a small museum which detailed some basic history of the war. Then we were led through the tunnels and it was really interesting, it was remarkable to see the conditions these people lived in and for the amount of time they did so. They practically led normal lives in them, with passages connecting schools, political meeting rooms and even baby delivery rooms. It was extremely cramped and stuffy and its hard to imagine life inside them. From here it was an extremely long drive back to Hue and we were dropped off at the breakfast hostel, which was a fair walk back to our own but they offered us a free beer so to Eve's delight it kept me quiet at least. For dinner we found a restaurant selling local Hue food and I tried prawn Beo cake (small rice pancakes covered in minced shrimp, small pieces of pork crackling drizzled in fish sauce) whereas Eve tried Hue crunchy pancakes which were filled with prawn, lettuce and cucumber and dipped in a peanut sauce.

Day 246- Our bus for Hoi An was booked for half 1 so we got up early to make the most of the morning. After some breakfast we walked across the river to the citadel (It is almost like a citadel within a citadel now as in the past the full city was contained within the city gates with the actual citadel reserved for the Emperor and special persons however now the city has expanded so there are now two sets of city walls and gates) and it started to rain, it wasn't so heavy at first but it persisted and became worse. So we sought shelter under a bridge hoping it would pass when an old woman on a tuk-tuk found us and sold us a poncho. We continued on in search of the Emperors citadel and after a few attempts we found the one gate that allowed entry and paid up. We expected something similar to the forbidden city in China (obviously not as big and grand) however most of the buildings were in ruins or had been completely destroyed. The buildings were destroyed through the many wars that have ravished Vietnam and although there were plans for rebuilding and renovation, we like to think we saw the authentic version. We meandered around picking nice quiet spots to have a tranquil natter and within an hour or so we covered the circuit and then took a free ride to the antiques museum. The only reason we went was because it was included on the ticket but it was worth our time and we marvelled at the simply amazing pieces of furniture and the ornaments that were once housed in the Emperors palace. Running out of time we turned back and found yet more local food, some of the same as last night plus more and then went to the hostel to grab our bags. The bus picked us up from the guesthouse and we were annoyed to find only two seats left at opposite ends of the bus. Even more annoyingly one of the seats was broken so one of us had to sit in the conductors seat, this actually meant we were right next to each other but not what we paid for! 3 hours later we arrived in Hoi An and managed to find a hotel for a really good price. We spoke to the receptionist a while about the tailors and she recommended a one called Kimmys. We imagine they get commission but thought we would try it anyway and walked along after grabbing some food. Once we stepped our foot in the doorway we were pounced upon by a girl who very quickly showed us to a seat and started rifling through magazines asking what we wanted. After we managed to catch our breath we told her our thoughts and asked for prices. It wasn't until about 30 minutes later that we got a crazy price from her and so after more colour picking we decided to leave. They weren't to pressuring but enough to make us feel uneasy and rushed into things. Dreading the hunt for a suitable tailor we headed back for a good nights sleep.