Day 12 Hue
Today was a chilly and rainy day, the rain was pretty exhausting as we toured Hue. Throughout the day, we went to the Imperial Citadel and Purple City, a pagoda, and an Emperors Tomb. We played dress up and got our pictures taken. We also climbed many steps. The purple city area contains ceremonial burial shrines for all the prior Nguyen Emperors. There was a special ceremony taking place the day we toured because it was the anniversary of the death of the first emperor of that dynasty. His royal relatives were there in full dress to pay their respects. The rest of the day was a bit of a blur because of the amount of walking and climbing steps we did in the rain.
In the evening, we took a boat ride an heard a folkloric performance by a group of Vietnamese artists. They were very good singers, musicians, and dancers. I loved the ao dai (silk outfit) that the women wear here. I really want one but I do not think I have the time or money to get one cut for me. I am going to look for them later.
I need to talk about food in Vietnam again. There is an unbelievable amount of fresh food here, especially fruits and seafood. Almost every meal has pineapple, watermelon, and papaya and this fascinating spiky fruit named rambutan. Also, all the juices at breakfast are fresh squeezed and there are always three choices. Rice is prevalent at meals, and all varieties from steamed to fried with different types of spices. I have never seen so much seafood in one place, even in Maryland. I have ate dragon fish, orange fish, red croaker and all sorts of octopus, squid, clams, crabs, etc. The fish here tastes really different than at home, however it is good just the same. Each meal comes with fresh salt, white pepper, a lime slice, and assorted types of dipping sauces.
Pho has became a favorite of mine. It is a noodle soup that you add all sorts of spices and things to. The yogurt here is great, it tastes totally different than at home-thicker and less sweetened. Oranges here are less citric than at home and have a green outside color. Yesterday at lunch, we had a wedding fruitcake tray brought to us. It was an amazing assortment of nutty fruit meat packed in tropical leaf boxes that were so pretty. I am surprised at how much I am enjoying the food here. I think my favorite part is the quality and freshness of it all. It has made me realize how much packaged and processed junk I was eating at home. I only drink water, hot tea and fresh juice here. I have had two or three cans of soda in almost two weeks, and one liquor cocktail. No beers, milk, fruity drinks, milkshakes, etc. Bravo!
As I am enjoying my meals, I am highly entertained by the Americans in my group who are picky eaters. It is hysterical to listen to their arguments about what the ingredients in all the foods are and if they should eat the food or not. They ordered beef one night and hated it because it wasn't American, but Australian. They hated the pizza at our hotel because its not the same either. They also complain about anything that says BBQ flavored. I have had to remind them several times that they are in Asia. They do love the french fries and order several plates of them from every menu they see them on. Many of them are not eating much here because many foods contain several ingredients and are hard to pick apart. I have seen one girl and one boy eat two bites of an eight course meal which is pretty ridiculous, but whatever.
Well, we are on a bus to our next city (Hoi Ann) about five hours away. We are going way up in the mountains, through a pass to visit a place called marble mountain. We are only in Hoi Ann for two nights and then we move to our final destination, Ho Chi Min City or formerly Saigon. See you all back in the USA real soon!
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