Back to culture

We left Hoi An and all it's retail possibilities this morning. It was a delightful stay. The receptionists came down stairs to see us off. I am sure it wasn't because they were glad we were going ....

We drove to Hue, the ancient capital of Vietnam through some wonderful scenery and the Pass of Clouds. It lived up to its name - it was misty.

Spent most of the afternoon at the Imperial City learning about all about the Emperors. Our guide seemed to think we needed to know a lot about how he managed his concubines. We didn't but it was entertaining.

The Imperial City has suffered much by neglect and by wars. The guide showed us newspaper reports of street fighting in the Imperial City as the VietCong tried to capture Hue. And there were still bullet holes in some of the wall. An ambitious programme of restoration was underway,

It was an afternoon of ornate gates, pagodas and temples.