After breakfast, the owners of the hostel invited me for tea and in the conversation persuaded me to visit at least the tomb of Tu Duc, because e.g. Pagodas are similar elsewhere, but this is unique in Hué. I was not really motivated to go by bike in that rain without any need, but the 20km round was within my possibilities. So, at noon, I started.
Of course, I prepared the route and of course Mr.G had some special roads and one time he said, go left and there was nothing than a path. So, I locked my bike and went on by foot, thinking that I would come to that tomb from another side. I even started making photos,
but after a while realized that these were more normal graves on a normal cemetery, just a bit more elaborated. I had to go a round on a muddy path to reach a street again and come back to my bike. “We” went on on streets that became smaller and narrower until I/we came to bridge, that will be a bridge again in some future but not now. Now I had to find a way back to the main road and did, what I supposed to be right. There were no signs but by just following the main-road, I finally came to the entrance to the park with the tomb.
A agitated woman stopped me and showed me the way to her “free” parking, that was in the court of her café. I promised to her that I will not eat or drink something and asked if it is still ok to park there and she promised, it was.
At the entrance, I got a ticket, made a fast round through the big park
with smaller and bigger buildings between houses, pagodas and palaces,
finally reached the tomb after several steps and forecourts,
came back to my bike and caught a good moment to flee without discussions as other people were coming in the trap at the same time.
On the way back, my further mission was to find the post office (good job, Mr.G!),
a recommended Vegetarian restaurant (not so good job) and an ATM (found on my own). The food was good, but not near to that what Lib and I had eaten in HCMC. But also, the price was not comparable, it was a “real” restaurant, with walls and (open!) windows, but for 2,5$ I got so much that I could hardly finish it.
At home, in the hostel, I noticed that the clothes, I had washed 2 days before, were still wet. Everything, even things not in touch with water, was humid, at the windows, the water from the glass ran on the windowsills, every paper had lost the paper sound and reminded more on tissue.
And I was feeling cold in that room with 18°C when I didn’t move. And I wondered about the locals who still walked and drove in sandals, and some even in short trousers. And in the hostel, they didn’t close the doors and had even the fan on.
I got a message from Arne, “my” cargo ship agent. There is a new option for the route Taiwan – Australia. Only, either I come very late to Sydney (or even too late for our common trip that my brother Markus is planning) or I lose half of my Taiwan-days for the earlier departure. I time of calculating, writing messages, researching and planning began.
At the moment, I try to find a way to reach Taiwan earlier, to have at least some days more. We will see, what is possible!