Chasing Amy-Lou

Hué, Vietnam:

My time in Hoi An had come to an end and I was sad to leave Goldern Lantern Homestay. It had been a comfortable and relaxing stay. The family who hosted me were absolutely lovely – very generous and always willing to help out; their two young boys the perfect mixture of mayhem, mischief and cuteness; and my fellow roommates and travellers were a joy to be around.

I’d made some good memories in Hoi An, and had even contemplated extending my stay another night or two. Had my time in South East Asia been unlimited and had I not challenged myself to visit five countries in two months then I think I probably would have stayed a while longer. However, it was time to move on and my next stop was the old imperial capital of Vietnam – Hue.

Saying my goodbyes and boarding the bus at 2pm, I arrived in Hue around 5:30pm. The drive was comfortable enough and the scenery very, very pretty (more about that later). Revelling in the fact I was now navigating new cities like a pro by making full use of the maps.me app, and being too stingy to pay for a taxi, I opted to walk the 2.5kms from the bus station to my hostel.

It was around 1.5km into my arduous slog, looking like I was packing for a decade in the wilderness with everything but the kitchen sink on my back, that I realised even though I longed to be one with all of my heart, I would probably never be the type of person who is able to pack light; I would never be able to just shove everything in a bag that weighed less than 10kgs; and my shoulders would forever hate me; my lower back wanting to divorce me at the first opportunity.

And I also realised that even though the cost of a taxi wouldn’t have been so much – even in countries that weren’t Vietnam – I would probably still continue to put myself through ridiculous rigmaroles like this in order to save a few pennies. On the bright side though, it wasn’t midday, I didn’t get burnt, and I made it to my hostel in one piece. And you know what, I’m actually glad I walked, as I got to take in a little bit of Hue’s atmosphere while doing so. And what I saw, I was pretty impressed with. Hue had a safe feel to it. It was a big city situated around the gorgeous Perfume River, although not as busy or chaotic or as frantic as Ho Chi Minh. And it was pretty. And it felt calm and peaceful. And I felt relaxed. And I think I kind of liked it. So far, so good.

Entering to my hostel, I was greeted and briefed by the friendly staff on things to do and see in the city such as visiting the Citadel and the famous Pagoda; and after I checked-in, had a shower and a quick FaceTime with the nearest and dearest, I headed out for food.

It dawned on me at this point (and I’m surprised it took me this long actually) that I’d gone for more than a week without a decent glass of wine. And I was parched; my tastebuds yearning for that sweet grapey nectar! What I would’ve given for a nice cold glass (bottle) of Cloudy Bay Sauv Blanc at that moment in time. Alas, the wine in Vietnam is shocking (think dish water but worse) and as I hopped from restaurant to restaurant checking out their menus, trying desperately to find something – anything – that resembled a Sauv Blanc (or even a Pinot Gris, because lets face it, I couldn’t afford to be too fussy here), I had to resign myself to the fact that my searching would probably be futile.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom though – I found the night markets where I bought some fresh mango; I stopped for ten minutes to help a young Vietnamese boy practice his English; I had a local beer by the river and lost myself in the bright city lights that cast themselves upon the black night on both sides of the Truong Tien Bridge; I meandered through the backpacker and bar district; and then I headed back to the hostel to bed down for the night, for tomorrow I had plans, and it was to be my biggest day yet!