Hue served as the political captital of Vietnam until 1945.
Now those of you who have been following my blog will know that I was an advocate of overnight sleeper trains after my experience in Thailand heading to Chang Mai. Well all that is about to change!!!!
It was chaos at the train station in Hanoi with everyone trying to buy a ticket to get home for Tet(Lunar new year). When I found my carriage I was shocked. It was tiny and there were four bunks very close together with no curtains or privacy, and dirty bedding. I had been allocated a top bunk. I hauled my rucksack up onto the bunk and locked it to the railings alongside. I felt very vunerable.
I had just settled and resided myself to the fact I would be sharing with three other people when a whole family piled into the cabin.
They totally ignored me and proceeded to pack all their belongings and boxes into every available bit of space in the cabin. Including a blossom tree that they were taking home to their family (it is tradition to do that for new year). I felt so claustraphobic. They then doubled up on the bunks,top and tailing, so the room was packed and there was no air. I was stuck in there for 14 hours with them!!!!!!!!!
When I went to the bathroom they did not make it easy for me to climb down from the bunk and they took the opportunity to rummage through my rucksack.They did not even close the zips for when I returned. Thankfully I keep all the important things on me or in my smaller rucksack which I take with me everywhere.So they did not find anything.
Needless to say I did not get much sleep.When we approached my destiation I realised they had taken my thick socks from my bunk. So I just kept pretending to search and asking them and pointing to my feet. This carried on for about fifteen minutes until the mother said something. Then the father popped his head round from the bottom bunk and passed me the socks. I smiled and said thank you ,but in my head I thought, about time too you theiving b.....d!!!!I was so glad to get off that train.
I then got to a guesthouse and they said I could have a room with a computer for an extra five dollars. I felt crap and thought I would stay in my room doing my blogs and resting, so I agreed. When I got to the room I discovered it did not work. I called to reception and they said they would give me a discount of three dollars as it was broken.I argued that I would not pay any extra. They wanted me to pay two dollars for the privialage of having a broken computer in my room.But I just flipped and told them I would pay the basic rate and that was it.Eventually they agreed.
I needed to get out of the guesthouse so decided to take a bicycle taxi to see the Citadal
The moated citadel though heavily bombed by the Americans it is still impressive.
The taxi driver set off and after about ten minutes of going round the back streets I asked him where the Citadal was, he kept saying "yes" "yes" and peddling..and he said something about no ticket. I felt poorly with my cold, I was tired through lack of sleep on the train and I was in no mood to take prisoners!!! I snapped at him and asked him where was he taking me.
It transpired he was taking me around the perimiter fence of the citadal to save me money. I was furious and jumped out saying that I actually wanted to see the blummin Citadal. He wanted twenty dollars for taking me round the back streets. I gave him a couple and went on foot in the rain to see the citadal.
I was glad I had made the effort as it was lovely to wander round.
but I vowed to move on further south the next day. I was getting sick of being ripped off and lied to all the time!!
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