motorbiking

This afternoon was a real treat. A 3 hour motorbike ride though the streets and surrounding area of Hué. We saw some fantastic rural areas that our local guide was able to show us. Here's me and my drive "Ni"

Here we all are posing on our bikes with and in action going through local areas.

Then past many of the local sites... the Royal Palace that once was, back when Hué was the capitol of the country way, way back before the north south divide.

We saw how incense is made; this frankly rather disgusting looking stuff is a mixture of sawdust, cinnamon or sandalwood, sawdust and glue. The colours and possibly extra perfumes are added later to make them more attractive to tourists. This is then hand rolled on to the sticks.... on average a person can make over 5,000 sticks per day! (the coils are made by machine)

We went to a lovely little village which had a charming little covered bridge. This is apparently where local teenage lovers go whilst still keeping their love secret, (having a girlfriend/boyfriend is not as acceptable out here in more rural areas).

Apparently as this is a quiet and private place, and therefore it has been known that ‘love accidents’ (as our guide rather sweetly put it), sometimes happen here.

Here is a stone that shows how this place floods in the rainy season... the top mark was the worst flood year ever – 1999... way above most of our heads.

(We went to a rice museum and learnt how it all works but that is a separate story that must be told later as you will never feel the same abut it again.

We visited what is considered to be the most beautiful temple in Hué..

but you couldn’t go inside. There was however, a super view down the river.

*More pics to follow on this one as soon as I get to some WIFI