HUE!

It's day. . . um. . . six I think? . . of the Levy familiy's incursion into the wild and fascination nation of Viet Nam!

After we finsihed getting our suits fitted and our shopping blitz concluded we got ourselves into a blissfully air conditioned van to drive us north the the city of Hue, home of the Imperial Palace. The drive was harrowing. At least thats what my dad told me, I slept the whole way. People use their horns here compulsively. It's just a way of announcing your presence. So, as the rain bucketted down on the highway, with ponchoed motorbicyclists on either side, it's amazing that there wasn't a crash of some sort.

The best way to describe the hotel in Hue was "faded glory". Like it was an elegant and fancy hotel one time and descended into seediness. There was a stuffed deer in the lobby and it seemed like we were the only ones there. We went out to a restaurant that had been featured in a number of guidebooks. There were a slew of other tourists there. The restaurant and the one right next door were owned by two deaf brothers and they had their gimmick down: They had their own homemade bottle openers: a plank of woodf with a bolt and nut separated far enough to lodge a bottlecap under. They had a whole wall of photos of tourists using the bottle-opener in their home country (under the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, etc.) We're going to get ours under the Statue of liberty.

Also, on the way to Hue we stopped at Marble Mountain, which was one of the most breathtaking sights of the trip. Five mountains that jut into the sky on an otherwise completely flat coastal plane. Really odd, almost mystical. There was a phenomenal cave inside the main mountain with sculptures of Buddha and the female Buddha (whose name escapes me.) Once again, there are photos to go with.

The Imperioal City was beautiful, kind of like the the Vietnamese Versailles, and HUGE. But by this point it was really hot and we were tired. Now, we're about to catch a flight up to Hanoi where we meet up with the fifth member of our crew, completing the Levy crew: JONAH!!

For those who were unaware, my younger brother Jonah has been studying in Vietnam for three months now, and that was what inspired this trip in the first place. We're very excited to see him.

See you all in a week!

-Gid