42 degrees - let's ride!

We love riding bikes.  Most of the places we have been have soft seats over the backrack for Miss C to sit which has been great.  Some hotels have little kid bikes but not where we have stayed.

Today we awoke on our second day in Hue & it was already boiling.  It was 42 degrees & felt like it already first thing in the morning.  So, of course we decided to take a ride.  It was only 6kms to the largest pagoda in Vietnam, so we decided to ride from our hotel to this site in Hue.  We had all lost our hats so along the route we purchased new ones for about $2 each. Miss C & I got matching ones & felt good wearing them. I love the idea of wearing matching clothes but no one else in my family does so I have to create these occasions where I can.

Our plan for the day was to ride to the pagoda, then to the Citadel & then go for a swim if there was time.  We went to the pagoda first as the monks actively worship there twice a day.  We arrived a little before the morning service & were delighted to be able to see the monks & also the nuns dressed in grey, singing & praying.  After the monks had finished their ceremony, individuals moved in front of the altar & made an offering which entitled them to an individual reading & prayer with the chief monk.  It was quite beautiful but not really very reverent with so many people taking photos.  

The Hue citadel was next on our list after morning prayers.  We rode there a bit more slowly than we had earlier in the day as the heat was intense.  Conveniently, there are designated places to park your bikes for a small fee near every site.  We wished that we were able to ride our bikes around the citadel as it was Enormous! We were really hungry & met some fellow travellers who indicated where we night find some food.  Unfortunately this proved elusive & we wandered around the entire citadel before finding a back entrance that would allow us to seek nourishment in a nearby street.  It was siesta time so after much searching the only thing we could find open was a juice bar.  We gratefully drank our cha tranh & mango shakes & used the extra ice we had been given to cool our faces & bodies.  Sated to an extent, we headed back to the citadel which is gradually being restored. When I was last visiting this attraction it was in a much more advanced state of disrepair so it was encouraging to see progress being made.  It is such a big place that we didn't encounter anyone else until it was time to exit (a very long way around the citadel) when we bumped into a Vietnamese tour group.  Quite a few of these giggling, gap-toothed ladies decided that my arms were fair game so gave them a pinch - nice! We rode home, too hot to do anything but grab some quick dinner & go to bed in the air conditioning for a well-earned rest.