last day 70k to Hue

 Our 'glamping' accommodation was fine, except for the fact that they kept the outside lights on all night and I kept waking up thinking it was morning.. And because it was a communal toilet, that wasn't very close by, we both decided to have au naturel toilet visits in the middle of the night outside the door!

With kit mostly dry (they had a rare washing machine), and breakfast of peanut butter, banana and baguette, plus some delicous mango and pawpaw, and local donuts, we started off on the last ride of the trip.

It started with a long straight, then a windy and long downhill, before climbing rudely again at an incline definately more than 10% (all the signs  say 10%!). It was sunny hot and humid again and I really felt it on the steeep climbs where we got no wind to chill us at all. We also had very little shade. So it was a tough morning. We had a couple of water & food breaks before finishing the day in Hue, Vietnam’s Imperial City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

After checking in, lunch of more noodle soup, and a short rest (we had to book our next nights hotel), we headed at 3pm into the Imperial City, which served as Vietnam's capital from 1802 to 1945 under the Nguyen Dynasty. The citadel is protected by fortified ramparts and ringed by a moat. During the Vietnam War, the Imperial City was heavily damaged, but it is slowly being restored to its former glory.

It would have been very easy to spend 3-4 hours there, but in the heat of the afternoon, and we were all really fatigued, we managed 1.5 hours, before heading to the best meal of the trip and some much deserved beers.

In fact we were all done by 730pm, well fed on spring rolls, crab soup, chicken & lemongrass, mango salad and  mango iceream.

Take away tips for future trips

1. Never underestimate the power of hand washing your kit in the shower and resusing the next day. I took 6 x pairs of cycle tops and shorts. I probably only needed 3. Take travel wash.

2. Don't take good cycling kit - it gets trashed, particularly in the rain.

3. Take more ibuprofen

4. Take protein powder or bars. The food was not high in protein generally

5. Take less casual clothes - 3 different sets of evening clothing is plenty.

6. Always take shamois cream

7. Take your own bike but check the road surfaces and terrain before travel. 

8. Take local cash

9. Take earplugs and possibly eyemask. Asian cities are noisy!