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Today we took a motorbike tour of the Hue countryside. We drove through little villages, past rivers and rice paddies, saw conical hats being made, incense making, and stopped at a nunnery for lunch. A vegetarian lunch I might add. After lunch we cruised on the perfume river (it sounds fun, but was actually the most boring part of the day), across to the Tien Mu Pagoda. It was a very full and exceptionally fun day. I totally recommend bike tours. It’s a chance to see parts of the countryside and rural life that you really can’t see unless you’re out on the back of a motorbike.
After a day in the heat, I decided to splurg on a foot and leg massage at the Imperial Hotel Spa. Sometimes it’s just more fun to go to the “expensive” spas here. They’re still half (or a quarter) of the price at home, but they have all the added touches like the spas at home (think air conditioning and quiet). And I got more ginger tea! After my massage, they let me use the free Internet in the wonderful aircon lobby.
For dinner, we went to a local’s house. Our guide for the motorbike trip hosts people in his home. It’s worth it for them because they charge, and it’s worth it for tourists because it’s an awesome experience. The food was amazing (best meal so far in Vietnam), and it just kept coming. Since I was the only vegetarian, it was very apparent what I did and didn’t eat, and after what seemed like 10 courses, I was feeling bad that I couldn’t eat more. :)
