When we woke up, we had already packed all our stuff, so it was just a matter of putting it at the concierge and then going for breakfast. I had waffles. Yum. Bacon. Yum. Cereal ! Yum. Haha. Then the car came and off we were !

First we went to the Marble Mountain. This was a mountain made entirely out of marble and there were lots of mining going on as well. As we neared the mountain, you could see many shops full of little marble carvings but right at the bottom of the mountain, I was truly amazed. There were huge marble statues everywhere, from small garden sized ones to ones which were as big as a truck and three stories high ! We walked along and then reached the entrance to the stairs. These stairs make the stairs at Batu Caves look really easy to climb. There were of varying widths and angles as they had been hewed out from the rock itself. They were also quite high and far apart in some places and could be slippery especially where the moss grew. Fortunately, with the experience of Mount Oberon only a few weeks ago, I think it was not too bad. At least we got to the viewing post quite fast, in about 20 minutes.

And it was breathtaking ! The view was fantastic as it was the only mountain around and you could see miles and mile of flat plains and rice fields. Also, you could see the sea shore and how the waves pounded the beaches while you were shrouded in fog and mist, since it was only 8 am still. Up on the mountain, there were also many tiny temples and pagodas. At some points, I felt as if I was going to bump into some fairy, or Monkey God, or at least a talking mushroom. There were also caves to go into, and people provided you with torches. This, at least was almost the same as Malaysia. Temples in caves. Though we could see doors right at the back of the cave, we decided it was not worth it to go exploring. Who knows, we might just fall into a hall into the middle of Marble Mountain and never be seen again.

Finally off the mountain after an hour, we were back into the car to Hue. Hue, is supposed to be the Malacca of Vietnam, as in the start of the civilization here. As it was about a two hour journey I nodded off, only to wake up at Lang Co Pass, which is a mountain pass right in the middle of Vietnam and you have beautiful views all around. It was really high up, and really pretty the way the wind moves all the trees on the hillsides below.

Finally when we reached Hue, from a distance we saw a hulking citadel made of stone. It was really awesome. We crossed a giant moat and were greeted by a humongous block of stone. It was just like the sand castle built at Wilson’s Prom ! It had a huge flag on a really tall flagpole and there was a big square where one could imagine hundreds of soldiers lining up and saluting the flag. Then we walked across a second moat with many small bridges. Once again, my brain exploded with images of two opposing sides fighting and with many soldiers killed and then falling over the sides into the moat. (watch too many movies…).

Once inside, it was magnificent. Imagine the Forbidden City in Beijing, and downsize a bit, but keep the structure. So there will be a huge moat, and then tall walls around a big area, and then a second moat, and then there will be all the buildings. Palaces, King’s court, concubine’s palace, dowager’s palace, and so on and so forth. Whoa. There were also huge gardens and there was a theatre and temples and ponds for relaxing. Walking around the whole place was quite tiring ! We also saw any old artifacts, including the furniture, costumes, giant bronze bells, and even statues of animals and guards.

Then we had a little stop for a little lunch at a little shop behind a restaurant in a lane behind a street next to the river. I would never have guessed that there would be something there if we had not been given instructions to reach that place. But the place was really good and had really cheap food. 3 of us ate food which costs a total of less than USD2. Crazy ! And it was a lot of food and drinks too.

After that we visited the Khai Dinh and the Tu Duc tombs. These are tombs of former kings and queens and their concubines and their families. Most were located in huge parks and memorials which were left to run a bit wild. It was great. Sort of like running around ancient parks and stone mazes and from time to time you will come face to face with a tomb, and inscriptions and giant obelisks and explanations of big buildings and their meanings. I think the best part of these tombs is that they are really nice, because they are located in huge areas, with lots of trees and hills and butterflies. The landscaping of the place is done really well with lakes and islands, and gentle slopes with marvelously carved staircases. I promise to put up some pictures when I get them.

Lastly, we visited a memorial on top of a mountain. More steps to climb! Crazy. But at the top, was a really great view, with a memorial of one of the kings. A lot of history to read, and artifacts to see, sort of like a mini museum. And of course at every one of these places, there would be the local people who try to sell you some of their souvenirs and stuff. Nothing too different from what you would usually see though. Finally it was time to go back to Danang.

But as it was still only 5 pm, and our flight was at 10 pm, we decided to go for a massage. Again. This time at a place that the driver recommended. It was on the fifth floor and looked very nice. Marble floors, marble bath tub, and each room even had a mini sauna. At this place, after you strip (strip again…seriously damn a lot of Vietnamese people saw me naked wei !) then close you in the sauna and pushed me in again when I came out for some fresh air after a long time, and finally allowed me to soak in an ice cold bath. The massage after that was not particularly great, but it felt comfortable because I was aching in my arms and legs after walking everywhere for a whole day. Climbing staircases and walking around in citadels can do that to you.

Our dinner was at this huge seafood restaurant that was right beside the sea. That being said, there were a lot of them , but we went to the one recommended by the hotel. It was right at the side and we were seated outside, so you can imagine the strong winds that buffeted us as we ate. We had about 6 huge prawns each, some special fried rice, and something that GANay wanted to eat when he saw it on the menu. It was called “Crabs full of Fat”. *Faint. They were huge, and two of them weighed more than 1 kg ! But I must say they were very good, and very fat. FAT. Now I am full of cholesterol. Total price of the meal ? Less than USD20.

Feeling really stuffed and smelling of crab, we went back to the hotel for some games of pool before going to the airport. Remembered that it was SailorJeow’s birthday and called to wish her. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! At the airport, we had to wait for an hour before the plane would take off, and just watched some football on television. Fell dead asleep on the plane and reached HCMC and the hotel at about midnight. Fuh. Dead tired. But it was nice to be able to get away from the city for a while, even if I did end up spending a lot of money.

Damn poor now………………

|