M-whY

For US$1 a day, I was able to rent a regular bicycle with an embarrassing basket in front. Traffic in Hue isn't nearly as bad as in larger cities, and though I still kept my head on a swivel, I never felt as though I was in any real danger. I pedaled about six kilometers alongside the Perfume River, taking care not to get in front of any buses bringing tourists to see the seven story pagoda. One of the most famous structures in Vietnam (or so my guidebook claims), it was founded in 1601 and was the home of Thich Quang Duc, who, on June 11, 1963, stopped his car in the middle of an intersection in Ho Chi Minh City (then Saigon), sat down, and burned himself to death in protest of Ngo Dinh Diem's pro-Catholic, anti-Buddhist, policies.

Behind the main pagoda was an imperial court and a smaller pagoda. Signs instructing visitors how to behave were posted throughout. (It's a good thing I didn't bring my wooden lish.) Though it was a pleasant enough place to spend time, I really didn't grasp the significance of the place. Coming here, I didn't learn anything or gain any sort of enlightenment. All I got from it was the right to check it off on my list and say, yep, I've been there. (Can you tell I'm becoming a jaded traveler?)

I had myself some fast food pho and returned to my hotel with the intention of writing up the previous day's events. However, I found the owner playing Nintendo in the lobby, and when he handed me the second controller, I couldn't resist joining in. I really sucked at the tank game - Battle City, I think it was called - but I ended up killing an hour and a half before paying my hotel balance and flagging down a ride to the train station.

The train arrived on schedule, and I located my hard sleeper bunk without too much difficulty. Six beds, arranged in two stacks of three, were in each compartment. Other compartments looked very lively, with pretty ladies and little kids playing around, but I had somehow managed to get stuck with five surly men, who didn't speak with each other, much less with me. There wasn't much I could do about it, so I just took my place and tried getting as much sleep as I could.

At around 6:00pm, we stopped, and everyone scrambled off to buy snacks. Thinking this would be my only chance to get food, I picked up some munchies as well. It turned out to be unnecessary, as when we got moving again, someone came around and gave each passenger a meal similar to one you would get on a plane. One of my compartment mates had bought some sort of boiled egg that really grossed me out. I swear, with veins in the egg whites, it looked like it had been fertilized and that something was growing in it. I've seen people eat some pretty gross stuff, like fried spiders and grasshoppers in Cambodia, but this was just foul. I kept my eyes averted, or I might not have been able to keep from making rude faces.

With not much to do, everyone just sort of climbed into their bunks after eating and went to sleep. My berth had cost me considerably more than had I taken an open tour bus, and while I won't say it was worth every penny, the ride was definately more comfortable. At least when I get to Hanoi, I won't be so tired as to need a whole day to recuperate.

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!