Another dull and drizzly day. We hired a car and driver to take us to the tombs of the past kings which are a bit outside of the city. Partway there our car was stopped at a police checkpoint. Our driver apparently didn’t have the correct paperwork and was fined 1,000,000 dong (about $55 Canadian). Our first stop was to the tomb of Minh Mang. The tomb is actually …
We arrived into Hue about 11:30am. John had a driver waiting at the station who took us to the Jade Hotel. This is our cheapest accommodation on the trip at $21 CAD per room per night including breakfast. The staff are super friendly offering fresh juice and fruit when we arrived. After a quick clean, we were ready to see the sights. Unfortunately it was raining, but still we headed …
It was dull and cool (high of 13 degrees) with a little drizzle today. Our first stop on our walk was the lake area. On our way to St. Joseph’s Cathedral I discovered an amazing artisan ceramics shop which was filled with beautiful blue and white pieces….I couldn’t resist. I love blue and white ceramics. I am still amazed by the everyday (for here) things that I see on …
It was a rainy day in Hanoi. We braved the insane traffic and walked to Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. Uncle Ho as he was known to the people helped lead the revolution against the French colonial rulers and was the first president of Vietnam after they gained independence. We stood in line for a while before shuffling past his preserved body. We next visited the Pagoda located in the …