Cambodia & Vietnam Trip – Day 15
Up early to have breakfast, and disappointed, yet again. Noodles and salad stuff, not even corn flakes. Had bread and butter, couldn’t eat the omelette, it was dripping in oil!
Two small motorbikes picked us up, to take us to the River. David & Brendan on one, me on the other, it was actually quite fun! But couldn’t see much!
Boarded our dragon boat, with its crew, the master and his daughter, called Anh. Brendan and Anh spent nearly all day rolling around playing on the deck!
Perfume River
A visit to Hue would not be complete without a boat excursion on the Perfume River (Song Huong). This 100km-long river owes its name to the fact that it flows through many forests of aromatic plants before reaching Hue, bringing with it fragrances of tropical flora. A boat cruise will offer visitors a general view of the daily life of Hue people. When night falls, the surface of the river glistens under the moonlight and the folk melodies of Hue make the lovely river even more poetic and musical. It is said that Hue is peaceful and tranquil mostly thanks to the Perfume River.
<%image(20080803-image035.jpg|450|300|Dragon boats on the perfume River, Hue)%>
Dragon boats on the perfume River, Hue
Thien Mu Pagoda (see page 211 in the Lonely Plant guide) very old, met a monk, who let Brendan belt the large gong repeatedly, so much for being respectful, and who showed us where to find the Pagoda in the guide book! It is free entry
<%image(20080803-image036.jpg|553|417| Thien Mu Pagoda, as viewed from the Perfume River)%>
Thien Mu Pagoda, as viewed from the Perfume River
At the rear of the pagoda is the Austin motorcar that transported the monk, Thich Quang Duc, to the site of his self immolation in 1963. See image www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/pacificaviet/monk.jpg
<%image(20080803-image037.jpg|512|333|Thich Quang Duc, self immolation in Saigon, 1963)%>
Thich Quang Duc, self immolation in Saigon, 1963
Khai Dinh tomb
The second of the Royal Tombs visited, is that of Emperor Khai Dinh. This was one of David’s favorites.
Emperor Khai Dinh ruled Vietnam for nine years. He was born in 1885 and died in 1925. The tomb took eleven years to complete. It was finished in 1931
<%image(20080803-image038.jpg|320|214|Statues, in the courtyard, at Khai Dinh Tomb)%>
Statues, in the courtyard, at Khai Dinh Tomb
Tu Duc tomb
Next stop, Tu Duc tomb, (pg 213) old but very Chinese, had a large moat area with large gardens and ponds, very nice and romantic. Cost 55,000VDn to enter, also had to hire bikes to take us to and from the river, 4km, for 20,000 each/ each way. Also Brendan had to go to the toilet twice, each time it cost 1,000VDn for some toilet paper, The toilets were filthy!
7km from Hue city, King Tu Duc’s Tomb is surrounded by a brick wall. Tu Duc was the fourth king of Nguyen Dynasty. He had his tomb constructed in 1848 when he was still on the throne. The tomb was built according to the plan based on two axes: one for the mausoleum and another for the palace. The tomb comprises of an important number of buildings, man-made ponds full of nenuphars and lotuses, crossed by various bridges and covered by frangipanni. This is one of the most romantic and splendid masterpieces.
<%image(20080803-image039.jpg|450|300|Tu Duc tomb)%>
Tu Duc tomb
Minh Mang” tomb
Next, we went onto “Minh Mang” tomb, (pg 215); Chinese, old and extremely large. You go through one area, a courtyard, and then another. I didn’t realise how big it was till we saw a model of the layout, beautiful water ponds, moats and gardens. We walked along the path around the edge of the water, so we didn’t have to keep climbing up & down the stairs. Frangipani trees, all around. Cost another 55,000VDn. I bought some Pineapple (5,000VDN) and bananas (also 5,000VDN) to eat, very nice and sweet.
12km from Hue city, King Ming Mang’s Tomb is located on the left branch of the Perfume river. The tomb was built as the plan drawn out by the king himself and the middle of the pine forest. The construction started in 1841 after the king’s death. The palace, the pavilions and the entrances are harmoniously built around two big lakes that make these more luxurious and peaceful.
<%image(20080803-image040.jpg|450|300|Minh Mang tomb)%>
Minh Mang tomb
Brendan and Anh played all the way back to Hue. They dropped us off near the citadel, after about 5 hrs, as we had to make our own way back to the hotel, we walked as we thought it was closer than it was, as we were just opposite the Citadel, but the citadel is quite large.
Along the way, we stopped at a stall and bought Brendan a Coolie hat and a red star cap for myself. Also stopped at a small supermarket, had trouble understanding the lady there, we thought we weren’t allowed to buy anything, but it turned out the lady who owned that part of the store had gone, so we had to buy stuff from another lady. We bought some Coca Cola, Tang, and Oreo biscuits. Just around the corner the hotel. Showered and a short rest before tea.
We met two ladies from NZ/ Australia who lived here at the hotel for 6 mths of the year. Brendan played with Debbie (from Sydney) and we arranged to meet for breakfast, at 8am
