Survived the 100kms - today in Hue

Argh, my legs are sore!!! Actually we had a really good, long and sweltering 100kms of riding up to the Hue area. The first 13 kms were up the highest road pass in Vietnam (500meters). It took about an hour to get up it -- I'm not the fastest cyclist in the group. In fact, I'm probably the slowest and yet I am the youngest -- how sad am I? At any rate, we made the summit and then coasted 20 kms down to a seaside resort for a fabulous seafood lunch! Then it was back on the bikes for another 70kms or so (yes, I wanted to barf).

The most memorable part of the ride was the backroad we took through small coastal villages and ended up at a makeshift ferry stand. This ferry was a small motorboat that took on bikes, motorcycles, people, cargo, ducks, chickens, etc. It was amazing we didn't tip it over when loading it. It took us over to a peninsula where we continued our trek up toward Hue.

We have a half day of rest in Hue today. This is the imperial city of Vietnam and our last stop in Central Vietnam before heading up into the mysterious north. We leave on a sleeper train this afternoon to the Ninh Binh area where we'll ride to the Cuc Phuong National park and stay the night there. I'll be off email for a few days as a result, but will write again once I'm able.

Here's a link to a good map of Vietnam to follow where I'm heading.

Picture is of the entrance to the Imperial Palace in Hue. Much of it was destroyed during the war when the Vietminh took up residence and the Americans bombed it as a result. It is slowly being restored under the UN World Heritage fund.