Hoi An Pt 2 & Hue Pt 1
One more night in Hoi An, and then a long bus ride got us to Hue.
   

The second stop was at a village with all kinds of crafts including boat makers.
We were corraled into this area...
In progress was a demonstration of straw mat weaving.
Here are the boat makers.
This was the workshop of a wood craft & furniture store.
This man appeared to be carving a plaque of some sort.
Back in Hoi An, at the main market. I was picking up some tailored silk shorts.
We caught Huong playing cards when she should be working at her shop: Ngoc Hien.
Huong is silly, probably because she works 7 days a week with almost no sleep!
Huong's sister Hoa (to the right of me) was a masterful salesperson.
On the way back to the Hotel.
Thanks, Chad.
At the tour office, we met Mr. T, who is a veteran on the American side.
See any similarity? Dave just needs to grow his ears longer...
My favorite shot from Hoi An.
We picked up our tailored clothes at Huong Xuan. Tram & Houng were very helpful.
Flamenco dancing?!
Hoi An was especially lit up with all of the goings on.
This is Duc. He works at Phuoc An Hotel and was very friendly and helpful.
We took the open bus to Hue. 1st stop: the Marble Mountains, south of Danang.
Dave took this shot of the entrance to the inside of the mountain.
I and Chad ran in to check it out and noticed a ladder going WAY up...
There's supposedly a Pagoda on top, but the ladder led to just a "scenic" l...
This strange sculpture was further inside, and was being lined with lights.
Aviad from Israel brought DVD's with him, and there happened to be a player...
The movies were a good distraction from the foggy narrow roads.
Very foggy.
Second stop: lunch. We got to talking with Aviad, and his travel mate, Sivan.
Once we got to Hue, it was raining. Scooterists wore special ponchos.
Not sure what these were for, but the man was happy to smile for a photo.
I hopped over into the traffic to stop this woman. I had to try a hot bun.
There was a bit of confusion over the total - she convinced me to get three.
We all agreed they hit the spot. Filled with spiced meat. Delicious.
Because of the Perfume River, Hue has many bridges.
Fishing in the moat of the Citadel.
Entrance to the Citadel, home of the Emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty (1803-1945).
Some kind of small shrine. I saw many of them during our trip.
Patriotic scooterists.
Hue was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the 1968 Tet offensive.
General Westmoreland ordered US troops to retake Hue. Much destruction ensued.
This is the Ngo Mon Gate into the Imperial Enclosure.
Thanks to Chad for this photo.
We opted to get a guide, which was very beneficial.
The slotted window (upper right) was for the emperor's wife. See & not be seen.
Detail of railing at the Ngo Mon Gate.
This is the Trung Dao Bridge, leading to the Thai Hoa Palace.
Roof detail of the Thai Hoa Palace.
The guide's name is Houng; it is pronounced differently than I first thought.