On Our Last Full Day in Hue,

we were reminded of what we learned last night--starting this year, all high school science and math classes have to be taught in English, not Vietnamese. Yes, English does give special access.

we were reminded why re-washing produce in bottled water might not be a bad idea. The water being used here is in a barely-moving canal that comes from the Perfume River.

we again enjoyed the veil of solitude and silence that Bao Quoc pagoda affords.

we saw some very interesting fruit ... at least we think it's a fruit.

we thought we'd taken a wrong turn to the desert when we encountered a cactus.

we saw a most amazing flower.

we saw reflections.

we saw some sort of crew race on the Perfume River.

we saw an ocean of motorbikes beside a river.

we visited a coffee shop in a bookstore. Novel idea, eh?

we saw what may have been some of the props we saw used in the opening ceremony of Hue Festival 2012.

we said farewell to our friends in the silk shop around the corner (from the hotel in which we stayed three years ago).

we enjoyed a 50-cent beer (that's .45 liters for the husband) and a 75-cent banana-coconut fruit shake at our favorite fruit shake place.

I found a flat spoon to go with the one I found on our first day here and the several I found in between then and now. Still to come--flat spoons, the sculpture!
And so we have some last-minute packing to do (the owner of the fruit shake place gave us some provisions for the trip when we bid her farewell); another farewell to offer, this one to Mr. Cu at the Mandarin Cafe; and perhaps another walk along the river by night. I shall try not to regret the posts I never got around to writing nor the photos I did not take or might have taken differently. I have told the husband and the people he works for here that if he's offered the chance to return in several years he will accept. He told them to just email me if that might be possible.

Next stop: Oz!