Rainy Day in Hue

When we arrived last night it was really coming down--not that it kept
all manner of traffic off the road. There were bicycles with two
occupants under a tarp, motor cycles with three people under a parka,
various large vehicles, etc. Made one wonder who was going to buy the
great pagoda in the sky, especially considering that something like 30
people are killed in traffic accidents here every day.

We saw one, too. On the trip back from Ha Long a crowd had gathered on
the side of the road around a kid and his scooter. It didn't look
good. Vietnam put helmet laws into effect a few years back but, as you
might guess, it's kind of hit and miss.

But back to Hue (pronounced hway). Still pouring this morning while we
were having breakfast and packing up. Somehow, it let up just as we
were leaving the hotel. Which was great, given that we had about a two
mile walk to the Citadel, the seat of power in Vietnam and home to the
Nguyen dynasty until 1945.

The former capitol, despite its relative youth, lies mostly in ruins;
Hue sits right on the DMZ and this area was bombed heavily during the
war. Reconstruction efforts are underway, but haven't yet yeilded
much. What does remain is grand, with the fortress eclosing two sq km.
Inside is the Yellow Zone, where the wheels of government turned, and
inside that the Forbidden Purple Zone, reserved for the emperor and
his harem. The local map directs visitors to a few museums in the
area, but aside from some tanks and artillary units on the lawn, there
wasn't much to see.

On the other hand, the local armed forces still march on the parade
grounds, accompanied by nationalistic anthems that sound as though
they're played through a coffee can. Delightful!