1/10/16
(I just realized I had been writing 2015 instead of 2016. Oops).
When I was younger (sigh, getting old), I love a mystery novel by Agatha Christie. It feature the famous detective Hercule Poirot, who somehow always solved murder cases by twirling his mustache and sitting very still: the counter opposite to Sherlock Homes. The most memorable case was, of course, The Murder on the Orient Express. (Spoiler alert) The murder happened on a train, and when it was strained in the snow, the detective had no choice but to solve the case. It turned out almost everyone on the train had a motive and the opportunity, and in the end, everyone had a hand in the murder (by that I mean all except one stabbed the victim). It was a plot twist that came out of nowhere, and the young me was fascinated- not only by the murder, but the complexity of he case and how a train cabin can be a perfect place to set up a crime. However, I have never really slept in a sleeper train: I was too cheap to pay for it..until now.
Against the better judgement of my bank account, I decided to take an overnight train from Hanoi to Hue. I had never slept in a train sleeper compartment before (I had, however, spent a night on a train on seats that did not recline. I distinctly remembered my rear and back both hurt in places I did not know existed). After getting off the bus from HaLong bay, o arrived back at the hotel, repacked, grabbed dinner at a roadside stand, charged my phone and jumped onto a taxi to the train station…and completely forgot my large bottle of water. I arrived at the station pretty early, and was initially a little apprehensive about the train. It looked pretty dilapidated from the outside, and a traveler I met suggested buying some snacks and beers as sleeping aid. I followed his advice, and settled down in my bunk. The sleeper compartment consists of 4 beds in each cabin, with a total of about 10 cabins in each segment. I was in segment 7, bed 2, and shared the cabin with a Korean student traveling and a couple from Netherlands. None were extremely communicative, so we just traded some background, tried valiantly but fruitlessly to stuff out backs into the narrow space under my bed, and went to sleep. To my surprise, I actually like sleeping on the train: the rattling, occasional honks, people opening doors to go to the bathroom (that was mostly me), the weird stares all the attendants have when I walked all over the train, and the disappointed look of the kitchen staff when I decided not to have a late night pho: they all made me really happy and excited. Oddly, I also felt really safe: I think I might be the only passenger that day who have imagined and plotted how to commit a muster on a moving train. Before I went to bed, I walked all the way to themfinin cart, and hence passed by the 2nd and 3rd class passengers (first class had the last few cars). There were the hard and unforgiving wooden seats I remembered so well, and the 6 people bunk that I never tried.
Woken up by the sunlight shining in at 6am, I washed up, lined up for the bathtoom, drank a really good and strong Vietnamese coffee and ate a chicken porridge. We finally arrive in Hue, the imperial city around 9:45am. Arriving at the hotel (yes, I thought I would sleep badly on the train and boat and opted for a hotel room: turns out I was way more comfortable on the boat and train: maybe I am a button for punishment. Wait, what was I saying?), I managed to check in, took a break before heading out to see Hue.
The imperial city, Hue, was where the emperors used to rule this area. The imperial city and palace still exist, and is now the main attraction of this area. I decided to tackle the actually imperial complex tomorrow when I have not energy, and just walked all over the city. The stark contrast between the old city (surrounded by a moat) and the new one was mind boggling. The old city has wide and straight roads, clean lines and good sight distances. The new city, on the other hand, is filled with crooked avenues, narrow streets and horrible traffic. Along the way, I saw lots of small eateries, cafes, motorcycles and people just hanging out. It was then I realized: today is Sunday.
I ended up at a highly recommended restaurant for a really awesome dinner (Nina cafe), and a drink at a local bar (Why not. That’s the bar name. I am not trying to be fiesty). As I sat typing away in the bar (that is drawin some very weird stares), I have to wonder if my perfect murder plan on a train would work. I actually discovered that there are lots of holes on my plan: the train contains way too many people, has too many doors and cupboards, and is a lot narrower than I foray thought. Maybe the goal is not to commit the perfect murder on a train, but to keep my imagination alive on such random useless stuff. Afterall, I like to be weird.
(Or maybe i should just design a train perfect for my murder plan?)
Chen's Travel Blog 