It’s only words, and words are all I have to post about the day…
Being fat and happy qualifies as hog heaven, right? We did a nice 7K hike to the former Imperial Palace and back without getting lost. Later, we took a boat cruise on the Perfume River (I didn’t smell a thing, though) and then had some dinner and drinks in the tourist section of Hue. Damn, three days in town and I’ve already reverted to routines. Oh well, at least they’re good ones.
Here are some photos from vacay day eleven:
A complimentary breakfast on the riverside to start the day. Nothing special about it other than the price.My girl is such a poser…Our destination is on the other side of that wall.Getting through that wall is a lot easier when traffic is light, as it was yesterday morning.We didn’t get blown away by the cannons either.I didn’t take notes about the former purpose of the buildings we saw. Sorry!The fish were hungry.This critter was kind enough not to attack Swan for posing again.Old buildings somehow make me feel younger.I did read that many of the buildings in the complex were destroyed during the Tet Offensive in 1968. Viet Cong were hiding out inside them, so the Americans bombed them.The survivors still look nice.Doggone it, Swan!Bang the drum……or ring the bell? Of course, we didn’t do either.Waterworks.A stair climb brought us here.That’s as close as we got to the building with the big flag.There she goes again!Then there was this demure Vietnamese girl in traditional clothing.The way we went.
Back to the hotel room for some R&R, then we headed out for our rivercruise.
I hope this Tet isn’t offensive.It was a small boat, but we had it all to ourselves. One hour for 300,000 dong ($11.50).On the river.That white building in the middle is our hotel, the Century Riverside.This gal was bathing in the river as we passed.Oh, and we brought some beer with us to enhance our river experience.On the banks of the Perfume.And I was keeping my eye on the sun.A temple on the riverside.Okay, let’s get this out of the way.Trying to hide?Bye for now.And that’s about the time our river ride came to an end. Swan said we got shorted on the hour we paid for, but I’d had enough and didn’t see any value in cruising in the dark.
Once we were back ashore, Swan went shopping for pasalubong (it’s a cultural thing, but basically souvenirs for family and friends back home) and I had a beer or two at DMZ bar while I waited for her to finish. When she rejoined me, we headed out to the backstreets of the tourist zone looking for some grub.
Do you want to try this place? I asked. Why not? she responded.That would be us…The view from our table.I decided to try the ga xao chua ngot.And Swan ordered the heo nuong ong tre.Oddly enough, my meal was both sweet and sour.Swan deemed her meal “spicy.”
When we were finished, we went back to DMZ for our nightcap, conveniently located right across the street from our hotel. And so our final night in Hue came to a close.
Still plodding along through the September 2016 LTG archives. In this post, I’ve got a new hiking buddy. Yep, I convinced Eun Oke to join me on a climb up to the Seoul Tower on Namsan. It wasn’t easy for her, but she made it. She seems so perfect for me. What could go wrong?
Speaking of Eun Oke, here’s a drawing she did of me. Talented girl, I look almost handsome!
For today’s YouTube video, let’s visit the Imperial City (aka The Citadel) during less peaceful times.
And now for the daily dose of humor:
Just let them whine.Time keeps on ticking, ticking, into the future…I heard it is better to be lucky than good.
I’m back in Da Nang again, so I reckon I’ll be picking up where I left off. Check back tomorrow to see how that works out for me.
8 thoughts on “Day eleven, hog heaven”
I didn’t take notes about the former purpose of the buildings we saw. Sorry!
This has more the look of a palace, a fortress, or a palatial fortress given the walls and the decorative koi.
Old buildings somehow make me feel younger.
The complexity of the architecture reflects Indian influence.
I did read that many of the buildings in the complex were destroyed during the Tet Offensive in 1968. Viet Cong were hiding out inside them, so the Americans bombed them.
AI calls this: “Pavilion of Splendor (Hien Lam Cac)”
That’s as close as we got to the building with the big flag.
AI says this is:
…the Flag Tower (Cột cờ) located in the Imperial City of Hue, Vietnam.
The flag tower was constructed in 1807 under the Gia Long Emperor.
It consists of a flagpole and a three-tiered base.
The site is part of the larger Hue Citadel complex, which was the political and cultural center of the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945.
The entire complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The flag flying on top is a sacred symbol associated with the 1945 August Revolution in Hue.
I hope this Tet isn’t offensive.
I’m currently reading the action novel Cry Havoc by Jack Carr, the ex-SEAL who wrote the James Reece novels picked up by Amazon to make the Terminal List series. Cry Havoc is about Tom Reece, James’s father, who served as a SEAL in Vietnam and was there when the Tet offensive went down. Lots of cloak and dagger, lots of geopolitics, and a good bit of action. Decent book so far.
Oh, and we brought some beer with us to enhance our river experience.
Of course! Sobriety is for people who like a sharp mind.
Once we were back ashore, Swan went shopping for pasalubong
And what pasalubong are you taking back with you?
I decided to try the ga xao chua ngot.
On the menu, the English under your entry has two errors of the same type.
Swan deemed her meal “spicy.”
But where was her “bamboo tube”? Or was that wrapped up and handed over as a discreet, naughty “gift for the ladies”?
Time keeps on ticking, ticking, into the future…
I see four errors in that meme.
Welcome back to Da Nang. Just a few days left…?
It all looks to be beautiful and packed with history and culture, but like any culture, Vietnam is more than just a museum. Have you flagged down any “lifer” expats there to talk about Vietnam’s culture—what works, what drives foreigners crazy, places to eat and drink, aspects of the Vietnamese character, etc.?
Guessed wrong on the song (again)!
After your initial comments, I thought for sure you would go with
Looks like Vietnam is worth exploring. Spent a short time in Quy Nhon for business. South of where you are at and pretty rural and off the tourist track so would like to go back to Vietnam in general and see other places.
Brian, I’d thought of the Bee Gees version of that song, but I think I’ve used it before and never heard Elvis sing it, though. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, it is easy to see why Vietnam is thriving as a tourist hub. Even Saigon is nice, but I’m loving the beach vibes here in the Da Nang area. Clean, good infrastructure, and affordable. Totally different vibe than the Philippines. Most of the tourists I see are couples, and I’ve not seen one younger Vietnamese girl with an old white guy anywhere. Definitely a different culture here.
Kevin, yes, The Citadel encompassed all those aspects…it was an imperial city.
I’m not really clear on the role of Indians in Vietnamese history, but they did have something to do with that My Son Sanctuary I visited. I believe the Champa Kingdom had Indian roots.
Thanks for the AI clarifications regarding the buildings. Good stuff!
As a teen, I was a Vietnam War protester. Now I believe our intentions were good, but our strategy was flawed. If you are going to fight a war, fight it to win. All we accomplished was prolonging the inevitable and sacrificing innocent lives unnecessarily. I will say, from my observations, that the communist regime here is not oppressive and seems to let people live in relative freedom.
The pasalubong is the usual tourist crap: t-shirts, bags, and magnets.
As for the menu, it appears to be de-hyphenated. And yeah, they must have lied about the bamboo tube.
As for the meme errors, damn, you are making me work hard. Let’s see, how about this (mistakes are in brackets): Have you ever realized that [a woman’s] [,] “I’ll be ready in 5 minutes” […} and a man’s [,] “I’ll be home in five minutes [,] are exactly the same[?]
Briefly met one part-time expat (a Canadian who winters here), but didn’t talk about the cultural aspects of life here. He said he prefers staying away from the touristy areas (which is where I met him).
Other than traffic making it hard to be a pedestrian here, no real complaints. People are friendly, it’s mostly clean, the infrastructure is good, and the scenery is nice.
Well, this trip and your documentation of it have been educational for those of us stuck in our residences. Despite my whinges and complaints, I realize a person can’t be expected to document every little thing, especially when he’s on vacation to have a good time, not to be a slave to his readers/commenters. I’m glad you’ve been having a good time, and thanks for all the pics of buildings and scenery and everyday life, even if it is largely life in the tourist zones. I’ve learned a good bit about today’s Vietnam as you’ve moved through it. Thanks.
Regarding this:
Have you ever realized that [a woman’s] [,] “I’ll be ready in 5 minutes” […} and a man’s [,] “I’ll be home in five minutes [,] are exactly the same[?]
Make “woman’s” singular and lower case = yes.
Add commas = no.
Spell “I’ll” correctly, with a single apostrophe = yes.
Add a question mark = yes.
No need to over-comma.
Kevin, it’s always too many commas or not enough commas with me, it seems. I had it in my mind that a comma was required before a quote within the sentence. The look on her face when I told her, “I’m commatose, you know.”
Kevin, I’m happy to hear you’ve been enjoying the vacation posts. I was thinking I was like that boring old fart who shares his photo albums with people who don’t care. Then again, that’s kind of what LTG is all about all the time.
I didn’t take notes about the former purpose of the buildings we saw. Sorry!
This has more the look of a palace, a fortress, or a palatial fortress given the walls and the decorative koi.
Old buildings somehow make me feel younger.
The complexity of the architecture reflects Indian influence.
I did read that many of the buildings in the complex were destroyed during the Tet Offensive in 1968. Viet Cong were hiding out inside them, so the Americans bombed them.
AI calls this: “Pavilion of Splendor (Hien Lam Cac)”
That’s as close as we got to the building with the big flag.
AI says this is:
I hope this Tet isn’t offensive.
I’m currently reading the action novel Cry Havoc by Jack Carr, the ex-SEAL who wrote the James Reece novels picked up by Amazon to make the Terminal List series. Cry Havoc is about Tom Reece, James’s father, who served as a SEAL in Vietnam and was there when the Tet offensive went down. Lots of cloak and dagger, lots of geopolitics, and a good bit of action. Decent book so far.
Oh, and we brought some beer with us to enhance our river experience.
Of course! Sobriety is for people who like a sharp mind.
Once we were back ashore, Swan went shopping for pasalubong
And what pasalubong are you taking back with you?
I decided to try the ga xao chua ngot.
On the menu, the English under your entry has two errors of the same type.
Swan deemed her meal “spicy.”
But where was her “bamboo tube”? Or was that wrapped up and handed over as a discreet, naughty “gift for the ladies”?
Time keeps on ticking, ticking, into the future…
I see four errors in that meme.
Welcome back to Da Nang. Just a few days left…?
It all looks to be beautiful and packed with history and culture, but like any culture, Vietnam is more than just a museum. Have you flagged down any “lifer” expats there to talk about Vietnam’s culture—what works, what drives foreigners crazy, places to eat and drink, aspects of the Vietnamese character, etc.?
Guessed wrong on the song (again)!
After your initial comments, I thought for sure you would go with
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Znq4vA54wb4
Looks like Vietnam is worth exploring. Spent a short time in Quy Nhon for business. South of where you are at and pretty rural and off the tourist track so would like to go back to Vietnam in general and see other places.
Brian, I’d thought of the Bee Gees version of that song, but I think I’ve used it before and never heard Elvis sing it, though. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, it is easy to see why Vietnam is thriving as a tourist hub. Even Saigon is nice, but I’m loving the beach vibes here in the Da Nang area. Clean, good infrastructure, and affordable. Totally different vibe than the Philippines. Most of the tourists I see are couples, and I’ve not seen one younger Vietnamese girl with an old white guy anywhere. Definitely a different culture here.
Kevin, yes, The Citadel encompassed all those aspects…it was an imperial city.
I’m not really clear on the role of Indians in Vietnamese history, but they did have something to do with that My Son Sanctuary I visited. I believe the Champa Kingdom had Indian roots.
Thanks for the AI clarifications regarding the buildings. Good stuff!
As a teen, I was a Vietnam War protester. Now I believe our intentions were good, but our strategy was flawed. If you are going to fight a war, fight it to win. All we accomplished was prolonging the inevitable and sacrificing innocent lives unnecessarily. I will say, from my observations, that the communist regime here is not oppressive and seems to let people live in relative freedom.
The pasalubong is the usual tourist crap: t-shirts, bags, and magnets.
As for the menu, it appears to be de-hyphenated. And yeah, they must have lied about the bamboo tube.
As for the meme errors, damn, you are making me work hard. Let’s see, how about this (mistakes are in brackets):
Have you ever realized that [a woman’s] [,] “I’ll be ready in 5 minutes” […} and a man’s [,] “I’ll be home in five minutes [,] are exactly the same[?]
Briefly met one part-time expat (a Canadian who winters here), but didn’t talk about the cultural aspects of life here. He said he prefers staying away from the touristy areas (which is where I met him).
Other than traffic making it hard to be a pedestrian here, no real complaints. People are friendly, it’s mostly clean, the infrastructure is good, and the scenery is nice.
Well, this trip and your documentation of it have been educational for those of us stuck in our residences. Despite my whinges and complaints, I realize a person can’t be expected to document every little thing, especially when he’s on vacation to have a good time, not to be a slave to his readers/commenters. I’m glad you’ve been having a good time, and thanks for all the pics of buildings and scenery and everyday life, even if it is largely life in the tourist zones. I’ve learned a good bit about today’s Vietnam as you’ve moved through it. Thanks.
Regarding this:
Have you ever realized that [a woman’s] [,] “I’ll be ready in 5 minutes” […} and a man’s [,] “I’ll be home in five minutes [,] are exactly the same[?]
Make “woman’s” singular and lower case = yes.
Add commas = no.
Spell “I’ll” correctly, with a single apostrophe = yes.
Add a question mark = yes.
No need to over-comma.
Kevin, it’s always too many commas or not enough commas with me, it seems. I had it in my mind that a comma was required before a quote within the sentence. The look on her face when I told her, “I’m commatose, you know.”
Kevin, I’m happy to hear you’ve been enjoying the vacation posts. I was thinking I was like that boring old fart who shares his photo albums with people who don’t care. Then again, that’s kind of what LTG is all about all the time.
Thanks for your support!