BSV. Hué area

5 February. Evening before and after dinner

Another perfect weather day, a little warmer but plésant compared to the Mekong.

A day of boat and biking. Both on the Perfume River, a river so named as about 100 km upstream there are romantic mountains with wonderful flowers and smells which fill the river. Did not notice but did enjoy the relatively clean water and good Junk boat. Once again asked all get in safety position when the river police are watching and then no OSHA concerns of any kind.

Bike ride to another Pagoda. Hué is home to 300 of them – the center of Buddhism in Vietnam. One pic included.

The stupa used to be bigger but the French took the top one. This is the Pagoda of the Heavenly Lady.

The local village ride was bumpy but peaceful. Off then to the Citidal, the original Hué capital imperial center. 2km by 2km with moats, and inner city and a forbidden purple (read dynasty of emperors) city. While the architechture is Asian (Chinese and Vietnamese) the feeling is the same as one gets walking into the Russian Winter Palace or Versailles or the Vatican Museum. Extreme wealth of the Emperor and abject povery in the cities. Shall we use 3000 today to dig a spot for me or should we use 5000.

The buildings are much nicer here but the logic is different. In the South they are wealthy as they have lots of rice and good food. Therefore they can spend all their money and do not need to save or bulld nice homes or invest. Life in the North is just the oppisite so they build nice homes and husband all their resources.

Dinner menu
-Phoenix shaped starter
-Crab soup with mushroom
-Fried seafood roll on melon boat
-Shrimp pie and rice shrimp cake
-stewed pork with beans and dumplings. (beans used to be reserved for the emporer)
-Grilled grape leaves with beef
-Steamed rice with lotus seeds
-fruit, tea, beer

Long ride iin the morning