exploring eating capturing
Hoi An is a delightful city in central Vietnam. UNESCO made it a world heritage site in 1999 and it is clear why. The old town is a mixture of traditional architecture with a myriad of narrow streets to wander through which are designated as …
Right at the end of my time in Hue I went to see the beautiful old Thien Mu Pagoda. It was built by one of the first Lords from the House of Nguyen (rulers of south Vietnam) in 1601. It towers on a hill over …
Tu Duc was part of the Nguyen dynasty and the longest reigning Emperor of that period from 1848 – 1883. His tomb is in Hue and was designed by himself to make sure it was grand enough! To avoid any enemies digging him up his body was secretly buried very deeply and not directly under his mausoleum so he would be difficult to find and that seemed to work. It consists of several structures set into a garden with a lake, quite a peaceful place to wander around.
One of the bigger structures is undergoing a bit of a renovation at the moment but you can still see the details well. The rest is of a shabby chic nature which is what I prefer rather than a scrubbed up shiny new looking finish, it is so much better to see the evidence of the years of history. It will be interesting to see the building when its finished I really hope it keeps its integrity!
There are a number of statues placed as if they are on sentry duty as you approach the mausoleum and are quite naive in style. You then enter through a very beautiful ornate gate into the centre area where there is a tomb very plain actually (so plain I didn’t actually take a picture of it!). I was much more interested in the weathered wall around the edge of the space sorry about that.
Hue (pronounced Hway) is slap bang in the middle of Vietnam approximately half way between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh cities. I went on an over night sleeper train from Hanoi to get there which was pretty straight forward and took about twelve hours. Hue …
So I had a quick lesson in pearl cultivating. Seems quite straight forward really. Take an live oyster, prise it open insert a bit from another oyster and a plastic ball…leave for five years back in the sea and hey presto a pearl. How hard …
Ha Long bay is in the north of Vietnam. In 1994 it was designated a world heritage site and I can see why. Numerous towering mounds of limestone protrude from the ocean wearing caps of thick lush green forest. It is incredibly picturesque and is one of those things that needs to be seen in person to understand the grander of it all. There are about 1,600 islands and islets scattered over a huge area. Lots of these islands are riddled with caves some discovered some still to be found.
The islands are so interesting to see as you gently sail by looking for signs of the wear and tear of the ocean on them. The water was at a level where crustaceans old and new were visible and signs of gentle lapping of water for millions of years was clear having created an undercut ledge at the base of each one.. These giants of the sea must have been witness to so many changes over the years in temperature, sea level and climate I bet they would have some stories to tell.
Hidden amongst these many islands are secret lakes that can only be reached by small boats or canoes. Its possible to hire one and paddle your way around, or if you prefer there are people on hand to row you in their rowing boat so you can sit back and take in the scenery.
On the whole these Islands are not inhabited but for tourist purposes one has stairs cut into it with a viewing platform at the top and a man made beach at the bottom which was a welcome relief after the climb up for the view but on the whole way to crowded for my liking. There is also an Island open to the public for wandering round one of the many caves. It is also heaving with tourists so best to get there as it opens in the morning! The rock patterns are amazing and again hours could be spent speculating how they were made and how many years ago. The marks are enhanced by a range of coloured lights which work really well to highlight the best bits and create an impressive experience.
If you do plan to visit allow yourself at least two days to make the most of the experience! We were also treated to an incredible range and amount of local cuisine whilst on our boat including lots of fish and seafood which just topped of an amazing couple of days. The chef deserves special mention for making sure and remembering that my food needed to be gluten free so I didn’t miss out on anything.
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I am a tiny bit dog mad. One of my best friends is even worse than me so I decided to find a dog a day to send her while I’m travelling. Everyone I’m travelling with now shouts dog of the day when they see …
So then on to culinary highlights of Hanoi and my favourite shop. Shopping first. Hanoi is a wash with fake goods. North Face and Superdry amongst other brand names are made in Vietnam. That in turn has created a huge business in seconds, knock off’s …
Having spent a leisurely week or so slowly taking in Laos arriving in Hanoi Vietnam was a bit of a shock to the system. Manic buzzing vibrant frenzied energetic are all words that come to mind when thinking of how to describe the city. Having said all that after one evening wandering around the old city quarter I felt right at home.
The Hoan Kiem Lake area is a lovely escape from some of the madness of the narrow streets and traffic of the old quarter. It is said to have got its name in 1428 and there is a detailed narrative involving King Le Loi a metal bar which becomes a sword and a tortoise…..look it up if you’re interested! Anyway its a nice place to sit and watch the world go by and is beautifully lit at night by all the buildings surrounding it.
For me I love to watch the people moving through life doing what they do to get a sense of a place. Hanoi has a wealth of street sellers carrying baskets of almost anything around stoping when they find a corner of the street to settle in and open up shop. The only thing that annoyed me slightly was the number of ladies who would suddenly appear and pop a basket holder on your shoulder without asking and then want to take your picture for you only to then demand money. That’s fine if you want a picture but you did need eyes in the back of your head to stay ahead of this game! But don’t worry the majority of street sellers are just that.
There are clear signs of the links to the former USSR and the cities communist history with random concrete statues of Lenin or a groups of soviet workers mixed in with the evidence of the cities colonial French past. I think it is in the people that you can get a true taste of the real Vietnam both busy and hard working, as well as resourceful and determined.
The housing situation is interesting to see. Technically being a communist country everyone should be equal (I really don’t think it actually works like that) so people are allotted land for building homes or growing produce. This means that properties are tall and skinny reminding me a bit of Amsterdam and dutch houses. Its clear that ingenuity is used to get the most from your bit of space and cram in as much as you can!
Hanoi of course is also the resting place of Ho Chi Minh. He is eternally incarcerated in a mausoleum not far from the centre of the old quarter and people queue for hours to be ushered past for a thirty second viewing. That delight was not available to me as the place was closed for a refurb (both the building and the body!). It is interesting to note that he really didn’t want all this pomp and ceremony his last wishes being that he should be cremated but the government had other plans as he was considered ‘the father of modern Vietnam’. I do wonder what he would say if he could comment on his current situation. You can go and see his home which is on the same grounds as the Mausoleum and that makes it clear how simple he wanted his life to be having very few possessions and devoting his life to getting the French out of Vietnam.
The grounds around his home are beautiful and worth a wander round. As an aside in Vietnam yellow is considered a very important colour so any important buildings are painted with a particularly bright sunshine shade inside and out, in case you were wondering!