Final cycle and an overnight train ride

Leaving the hotel for the last ride

Today was our last day with our bikes.  Parts of us rejoiced, namely parts that came into contact with the bikes on a regular basis....you know the ones ;o)

Nahn caring for his ride

I elected to stay on the bus ....20km of cycling around the city with a gammy knee was just not my bag.  So round we went whilst the group cycled to the first stop for the day...a temple in Hue.

An impromptu photo shoot outside the temple

Ladies Man!

Beautiful Lakeside Building.....the King that built this spent most of his time here....wouldn't you?

Body language showing signs of "jadedness"

Bizarre moments in antiquity

A bloody huge flag....well I liked it!

Next stop...the Hue Citadel.  It's a huge place, with lots of interesting and historical things to see inside.  Unfortunately for us, the tour of cultural experiences was coming at a point when everyone was a little bit jaded.  Aside from it being a hot and humid day, tiredness was creeping in and our ability to conjure up interest in what we were seeing was tough.

Simply raring to get to the next cultural experience

Slightly happier :)

No matter where you turn....there are mopeds EVERYWHERE!

The group got back on the bus whilst Natasha, Sue and I jumped in a cab to the Pagoda.  This was the defining moment of any tour.  Not one of the 19 people climbed the relatively few steps to go up and see the Pagoda!  Instead spending more time getting "sold" to by probably the most aggressive street vendors we had met to date.  Clearly we were at the end of our sight-seeing journey.  

A pagoda.....it may have been the most interesting thing EVER....we'll never know!

This was also our moment to say a final and definitive goodbye to our bicycles and support team.  Chi, our main guide, was to come with us to Hanoi, but the rest of the team were finishing up here.  We'd see Nahn one last time as he drove us back to the hotel, but this was the time for goodbyes.

Next up was a boat trip up the river.  Again, I am sure it was a nice idea, but Hue's riparian views are not precisely "inspiring"....this was no Bangkok, so I spent the time learning about the intricacies of Chinese Chess whilst Chi took on the boat's captain. 

Water Buffalo in the water for a change

A quick stop for lunch then we all had to get back to the hotel for a shared shower experience.  4 rooms, 19 people.  Boys in 2 rooms, Girls in the other 2.  We also had to prepare for the train journey ahead of us.....12 hours in a cabin....yum.  We'd already spoken to Dave and Julie about sharing a cabin, so Dave and I went out to "hunt" for food and alcoholic sustenance.  We spent 45 minutes traipsing up and down the road, round the block, visiting markets, stalls, shops and various "sales kiosks' in a vain hope of finding something other than packaged cakes and pringles style crisps.  No joy.  It seemed everyone sold precisely the same range of food and drink - the only difference being the temperature at which it was stored....call me a picky westerner, but the prospect of buying cream cheese stored on a shelf at 30 odd degrees Celsius didn't inspire me!

So we bought a bottle of vodka, some mixers and Dalat Wine.

Party Cabin in full flow

For the oenologically interested out there, Dalat Wine is a curious mixture of sour grape juice and low-grade Soviet anti-freeze.  Still, our brief had been "bring back some wine"....or so we thought.  In fact it turns out the ladies had said nothing of the sort!  

Chi with the ladies in the buffet car

The train journey itself was pretty enjoyable as all things went.  Sure the bedding was a bit shady, the toilet a wee bit smelly, but all in all it was nowhere near as bad as we had imagined.  In fact, a few minor changes and it would have been pleasant.  We'd brought our cards, our speakers and music, we had our booze and food (ham and cheese sandwiches and of course .....Pringles) and films for later....what more could we want?  

Our little party cabin entertained a few of our friends from the other cabins who popped in for a chat and a drink.  Very civilised.  As the ladies dozed off to sleep, Dave and I watched "Ted" on the laptop and then drifted off until 5am......5 a bloody m!

5am and still smiling!