March 19th, 2024 Day 21 of 24 Da-Nang, Vietnam (Hue, Vietnam)

Good Morning Vietnam! O.K., that’s how our guide started our tour today, so I couldn’t resist. I was up early so I could go to the gym before our excursion today. Got back to the cabin to stir Megan so we could grab our quick breakfast at the Neptune Lounge and then we were off to meet our group. Today was our last tour with the amazing Cruise Specialists team. They put together some amazing tours for us and they are tried and true to always give up the best experiences. After some conversation about dress code for today because of some of the sights we were visiting, I opted to stay in shorts and tank top and bring along anything to cover up later as required. I traveled with a scarf to cover my head, a sarong to cover my knees and a light sweatshirt to cover my shoulders. I always want to respect the culture of other places we go and I rather be prepared above all else. Today was hot and humid and we consumed a lot of water to keep ourselves hydrated. We had a three hour bus ride to the Hue (pronounced Hway) the old capital of Vietnam. Along the way today there was a lot of information given about the history of Vietnam. The relationship between the U.S. and Vietnam. The rebuilding of Vietnam after the US military base was dismantled and about their relationship between north and south Vietnam. We had to cross the DMZ as we were in both areas today. We drove over an amazing bridge called the dragon bridge, drove through a 6 km tunnel, passed by many rice fields, saw wild water buffalo just wandering the roads, and rode on the same highway that has been the main road through Vietnam for many years and throughout much of Vietnam history. Our first stop was the Tu Duc Tomb. As we got closer to the tomb we saw many roadside stands selling incense that is taken to the temples and shrines to burn. I had never seen this type of colorful display of incense before. Tu Duc was the longest reigning emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty. His tomb is here, but they said his body was not actually in it. For fear of grave robbers, the place of his true remains stays hidden. The number of cicadas at this location were the loudest I have ever heard. I have heard them in New Jersey when I was growing up as a kid, but these were so loud! There are wooden guards guarding the gate there that are short, as they could not be taller then the emperor, and the they have vast details even down to the facial hair. From here we ventured to a lovely restaurant and had a delicious lunch. It was one of the best meals we had had off the ship. Everything was delicious, served with great hospitality and the restaurant had air conditioning!! After lunch we drove to the bank of the Perfume River and took a ride on a dragon boat up the river to the Thien Mu Pagoda. There were locals selling their good on the boat as we traveled. But Megan and I opted to stay seated on the front of the boat near the “captain” and love on his super cute and very “fluffy” chihuahua. It made for a sweet ride. The Pagoda is a revered Buddhist Shrine and it is also the tallest building in Hue measuring 70 feet high. It was built in 1601. Then we arrived at the Pagoda and our tour guide took us around the grounds and then gave us some free time to walk around. We were quite warm at this point of the day and we felt like we were melting. So Megan and I found shady place on the grass, I took off my shoes and socks and just enjoyed the feeling of the cool grass under my feet. We layed in the grass, looked up into the blue sky, breathed in the air and felt a peaceful presence. Maybe if was the fact it was Buddhist area, maybe it was the relaxation of being on vacation, maybe it was the respite from the sun in the shade, but it felt absolutely wonderful to just take a moment and be in that place at that exact moment in time. Love it when I have those moments. Our next stop was the Citadel and the inner area of the Citadel known as “The Purple Hidden City. Many of the Citadel walls still contain bullet holes from the Vietnam war. Only 10 of the 160 original building remain, but they are slowing restoring this sight back to it original grandeur little by little. We learned about the concubines and how the emperor was unsuccessful in having any heirs to pass on his rule to (despite his hundreds of concubines). Here it is still acceptable for men to have multiple wives, but women are only permitted to be faithful to one man. Not my belief system, so I am glad I don’t live in Vietnam. Our last stop was to the Dong Ba Market. A local market when people come to shop for everything you could imagine. Our guide told us the go out for street food every morning for breakfast and that the shop daily for the groceries. It was a huge maze in a large factory styled building. It reminded me of the markets in Morocco that go on for blocks and blocks. We saw so many new and amazing things. Smelled unique smells. Saw such beautiful colored produce and foods that are foreign to us. Then it was time to get back on the bus and head back to the ship. Lastly, it is hard not to talk about the number of scooters that are here in Vietnam. The most I saw was five people on one scooter. A whole family, mother, father, and three children. Children can drive their own scooters at 16 and cars at 18 here. You must be VERY careful when you step off a curb here. There are way more of them than there were of us. Some drive slow and some drive fast, but they are everywhere. It was a very long day. We were exhausted by the end of excursion. We got back to our room and instantly ordered room service, you can order food from the main dining room until 9:00pm and we had about 20 minutes to spare. My favorite entree, Peruvian Chicken was on the main dining room menu tonight, so we ordered it for delivery. We took heavenly showers to wash off the long day of sweat and dust and crawled into bed. I had a bit of a stuffy nose I believe due to the temperature changes from the hot outside and the very cool bus. It has happened to me before and that is why I always have a sweatshirt no matter how hot it is outside. The only thing we forgot today that I wish we had, was bug repellant. I got a couple of mosquito bites today and we will be sure to take it with us when we have our other port in Vietnam in a couple of days. Tomorrow is a sea day and we have a couple of activities on the calendar. But you will have to wait to hear about that until tomorrow. Good nigh to you all!!