Hue and the Forbidden Purple City

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 …

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Water Puppets, Egg Coffee and the Hanoi Hilton

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 …

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Rainy Day in Hanoi

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 …

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