Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 12

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day12

Another trip today, first to orchid nursery, very nice, they seem to grow out of thin air, suspended with roots dangling down, beautiful blooms of all colours sprouting out of the tops. Just given plenty of water.

Then on to the the main objective, the Maesa Elephant Camp. It was founded in 1976 by Mr Choochart Kalmapijit starting with 5 elephants. 'With high concern for healthcare and breeding for captive elephants' there is now over 70 happy elephants living in the camp. The camp even has accreditation for iso 9001:2000.

They were a real bunch of characters. Our guide informed us that they work in the mornings and are free to roam in the afternoons and evenings until needed for the next morning, when each mahout has to find his elephant. They call their elephant and some come to their 'master'. Each elephant has his own bell so if they don't come, the mahout can hear his elephant's bell and track him or her down. But apparently some elephants don't want to be found. So they hide behind trees, standing very still or even holding their bell with their trunk so that the mahout cannot see or hear them.

First introduction is to about 10 of them all in a line ready to accept bunches of bananas handily available for tourists to buy as you walk into the camp. With Mahouts on their backs, they will place a hat on your head and pose for photos before taking it off ready for the next customer who still has some bananas.

(You girls will be interested to learn that gestation for elephants is 22 months. Expectant mothers develop a close friendship during pregnancy with another female who then helps at the birth including cutting? the umbilical chord. Like a sort of midwife).

Next four of them went for a lazy soak in the nearby creek - more photo opportunities.

Then we were taken to the seating around a huge arena. Dozens of elephants with their mahouts began to congregate in one corner. Then they put on a show. Well it's worth travelling to Thailand just to see this. They paraded, danced, did some gymnastics, played football including taking a penalty after one of them committed a foul (he obviously played for Yeovil in an earlier life), threw darts at balloons in competition with one of the spectators, painted pictures (yes pictures, I have a photo to prove it). They bowed to the audience and wiggled their bums when applauded. Great stuff, and as far as I as a layman can tell, they seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it all.

Finally the elephant ride. Sitting on a wooden seat fitted right on the highest point of his back, with the mahout astride his neck, this bloody huge elephant took me for a one hour trek along a narrow path through the jungle. He stopped regularly along the way to grab grass and foliage within his reach - must have consumed a skip-full just in that hour. (They eat 200 kilos and drink 60 gallons daily). Up and down steep, sometimes wet and slippery, slopes, he picked his footings with great care and didn't fall over once.

Another memorable day, I will never forget the elephants.
All the Best to everyone,
John

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 11

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 11
Chiang Mai is the ancient city of the North. Located in mountainous terrain it was founded in 1296 by King Mengrai the Great (you remember him?). It was the capital of Lanna Thai (Kingdom of a million rice fields), the first independent kingdom in the Golden Triangle. Until recently, it could only be reached from Bangkok by an arduous river journey and elephant back taking several weeks. The isolation of Chiang Mai allowed it to develop independently, somewhat influenced by Burma, and accounts for much of its present charm. The people of Chiang Mai have their own customs, architectural traditions, alphabet, dance, cuisine, handicrafts and a distinct lilting dialect.
Today is my first full day here. Took an excursion to the premier and famous Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep Rajvoravihara which is located very high up the nearby mountain. Very steep windy road up and up and up seemingly forever. Especially interesting drive due to the traditional pastime over here of taking the shortest route at every opportunity resulting in downcoming traffic cutting corners and frequently appearing coming towards us on our side of the road. Invigorating stuff.
306 steps up to the temple from the car park. However my fellow travellers opted for the vernickerly railway so I went with the majority and we rode up in a very cramped carriage. The view from the top of the city far below was breathtaking. The temple complex was an attractive collection of about 30 buildings of the Llanna style. According to legend, holy relics discovered during the reign of King Kuena (1355 - 1385) were placed in a howdah on the back of a white elephant, which carried them to Wat Phrathat then dropped dead due to exhaustion. The white elephant is especially revered in this part of Thailand.
Stup Pagoda (Golden Chedi) in the centre of the complex is the famous golden Chedi of Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, 79 feet high and 39 feet across its base, it is covered with engraved gold plate and flanked by 4 ornamental umbrellas. It is astoundingly beautiful.
''Doi Suthep, a secret peak that speaks of old Thai customs, where natures beauty doth unfold over the golden chedi''
We also visited a Hmong mountain village. The Hmong originated from China and live to a much more basic standard than the indigenous Thais. The people of this village had taken full advantage of the opportunities presented by tourist visitors. Dozens of little shops in tight alleyways, charming in their own right, adults and children in traditional costume and even an old lady reputed to be 102 posing for photographs for a small payment, all in good humour and great fun.
Then we emerged into an incredibly beautiful flower garden, perhaps an acre in size, laid out on a gently sloping hillside at the edge of the village with flowering plants of every conceivable colour, surrounded by the intense green of the trees and undergrowth of the jungle for miles around. Absolutely delightful, another memory that will endure of this trip.
The poor people of this village are undoubtedly the richest people on earth to be living here. A truly wonderful place.
John

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 10

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 10
Flight to Chiang Mai (name means 'new city', it is only 700 years old exclamation mark). Excellent hotel with a free lunch - fried pork, fried fish, squid, fried rice, and green beans on the Riverside Terrace - superb. Just walked around the rest of the afternoon. Saw much more of the 'real' people and city than in Bangkok, even though Chiang Mai is second largest city, 1.7 million. According to transfer/tour rep., people here have rounder faces, are shorter and do not rush - they would rather let someone in a hurry pass them by. Maybe this is the best outlook? (except in business of course). The few I spoke to today were very friendly as everywhere else I have been in this part of the world. Maybe a bit more reserved which is fine. Except lady in charge of internet shop, laugh a minute, gave me 2 bannanas, will definately go back there.
(sign in hotel - 'please do not open the window to step out onto the balcony, this hotel does not have any balconys. Due to an error, patio doors were installed as windows on all 25 floors. Please ignore the helpful arrow and sign 'slide'. The hotel management has undertaken to replace the windows as soon as they are fully depreciated by the accountants. Thank you for choosing our hotel')
All the Best,
John

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 9

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 9
Early start today for tour - Bridge over the River Kwai and Tiger Temple
Driven 2 hours to Karchanaburi on River Kwai, first was a look around the museum of photos and drawings of prisoners of war and the conditions they lived and worked in during their forced labours to build the 415k Burma - Thailand railway, bridges and cuttings in 1942/3. The Japanese War Cabinet ordered the construction of the railway to supply its army in Burma (now Myanmar) following the defeat of its navy in the Battle of Midway in June 1942. The railway, planned and abandoned by the British years earlier and estimated by them to require 4 years to build, was completed in 15 months. The Japanese used 30,000 British, 18,000 Dutch, 13,000 Australian and 700 American prisoners of war plus an unknown number of Asian labourers from China, Burma, Thailand, Malaya and Singapore. 13,000 British, Australian, Dutch and Americans plus 70,000 - 90,000 Asians died. Malaria, dysentry, ulcers, cholera, starvation, exhaustion, falls from bridges, executions, beatings to death.
After the museum, into a small fast boat, only room for 5 in each, up the river to the bridge. The original wooden one has disappeared but the second one, made of steel and repaired after being bombed by the allies, is still in use. Also a tourist attraction. I was able to walk across the whole length of the bridge along the centre of the track - fotunately got back before a waiting train started to cross. Got some good photos.
(interesting footnote, I am hopeless with heights and this bridge was high above the water but I have much less of a problem when there is water below can anyone explain this?)
After bridge, lunch in a riverside restaurant - excellent. Interestingly, we learned from our guide ( a very attractive young lady) that the film 'Bridge over the River Kwai' is banned in Thailand - not sure whether due to inaccuracies or unacceptable content.
After lunch, we visited a huge cemetary containing thev remains and headstones of 7,000 of the pows who died. They were in sections, British, Australian, Dutch and American. Harrowing.

Then on to the Tiger Temple.Tigers on leads, Monks free to roam and tourists herded by keepers. Beautiful and impressive beasts (the tigers), lots of photo oportunities, got several of me hugging tigers, tried to get one hugging the guide but not allowed. 4 cubs, 3 asleep, 1 (the male) very active, free to roam with keeper close at hand, stalking goats and pigs . very entertaining. Given a tiger lead as a souvenier, this will be very useful in Bovingdon.
Another great day.
Evening, back to the same restaurant as last night for meal. Girls opposite very subdued this evening, all with hangovers I guess.
Best wishes to everyone,
John

day 8 continued

day 8 continued
sorry - the keyboard froze. I upset it by holding the shift key down for more than 8 seconds.
After the gem factory, back to the hotel to recover exclamation mark (sorry again, I can't find the exclamation mark on this Thai keyboard)
It was a great day and the Grand Palace will be one of the enduring memories of this trip.

Evening, found the raunchiest bar in the neighbourhood and had a meal in the restaurant opposite and watched Liverpool vs Inter on the raunchy bar tele accross the (narrow) road interspersed with major distractions from the girls 'manning' the entrance to their bar. A good night to be there because they were celebrating (with whisky) their bosses birthday. They were having a great time despite the lack of customers, dancing to the loud music and giving any passing male a very hard time indeed. Two of them came over (separately) to talk to me, the sad old-timer in the restaurant opposite. One was from Chiang Rai near to where I am travelling to next, she was working in Bangkok to send money back to her mother at home. The other had 2 children and was looking for a man with money to support them and settle down with. Not sad, just reality in Bangkok. They both went back to their party/work and had some more whisky.
Got to bed just after midnight, not too bad, but being collected 6.15am for tomorrow's tour exclamation mark I will try to find this key when I have more time All the Best,
John

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 8

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 8
Did a tour of Bangkok, picked up at hotel at 6.45 ugh. Traffic really bad in this city, even with 8 lane dual carriageways, so took over 1 hour to collect rest of group, mostly australians, and get to riverside quay. Into boat, up very busy wide Chao Phraya river, guide pointed out temples (wats), of varying size, antiquity and ornatity. Especially striking was The Temple of Dawn (1842) at which we stopped to walk around. The river floating market has disappeared but a few lone traders in punts were plying their waresalong the sides of the riverwhere many old wooden houses on stilts are homes to Bangkok families. 95% of Thais follow Buddhism, closely telated to Hinduism but we did see a couple of Christian churches, although the moslem community makes up most of the other 5%. The guide, a very enthusiastic and very much in control thai lady, pointed out a lizard lying in the sun at the top of some steps. It looked like our lizards but much larger, maybe 2 ft/600mm long. Amazingly then, as if for our benefit, a very much larger specimin emerged from the water, climbed up the steps and chased the smaller one away. The newcomer was longer than the flight of 12 or so steps, I guess he was 6ft/2m long.All of us tourists and even the guide were very excited.
Next, up a canal, more waterside dwellings and sight of the Kings Royal Barge parked in it's 'garage'.
Also along the river and canals, often very nearto and towering over old timber houses, are many multi-storey buildings - hotels, banks, office blocks. The contrast of old and new illustrates the rapid development of Thailand over recent decades. Thailand is some way ahead of Vietnam and Cambodia in terms of economic development and infrastructure, and from what I can make out, much of the credit for Thailand's progress belongs to the present King and other members of the Royal family. The King is the longest serving living monarch, over 60 years on the throne.
Next on the tour was the Grand Palace complex. Begun in 1782 and steadily added to over 120 years, it is a remarkable and beautiful collection of 34? Royal Mansions, Halls, Pavilions, Temples and other strustures as well as the Palace itself. Unlike the Citadel in Hue, the complex is complete, well preserved and maintained and in regular use as well as being open to visitors. The Temple of the Emeralg Buddha is breathtaking. Many of the outside walls are decorated with millions of tiny pieces of stone of all the colours you can think of, all cut and placed by hand, producing a stunningly beautiful effect. Other structures are covered in gold leaf, erected in honour of deceased members of the Royal family. Dotted around are all sorts of animal based figures and ornamental trees and shrubs. All around the sides of one huge building is a mural depicting an historical conflict between one of the Kings and a devil adversary who tried and failed to steal the Kings wife.
Sadly one building was closed because it contaoined the body of the Kings elder sisterwho died in early January.. She has been embalmed and wiill be kept for many months before cremation.It is common practice in Thailand for the embalmed bodies of deceased relations to be kept for a time before cremation. Our guide told us that her Grandfather was kept in a corner of the family house while they saved up for and made preparations for his funeral. She said she really missed him being there after he was eventually cremated.
After the Grand Palace, we were taken to a gemstone and jewellry factory and showroom. Emeralds, rubys, saphire, jade. Beautiful stuff with maybe 60 workers skillfully working the stones plus gold and silver into totally hand-made jewellry. Thousands of items on display for sale in the huge showroom. Well worth a visit next time you are in Bangkok, although you have to resist the pleasantly hard sell by the numerous staff who are more than willing to assist you in your purchases. I resisted.
After the gem factory, back to the hotel to recover

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 7

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 7
Travelling day today, Hue to Hanoi to Bangkok. Flights all good and on time. Hotel in Bangkok is at the end of a narrow one-way street full of shops and restaurants. Very smart hotel and room. Booked 2 excursions for next 2 days with travel rep. after checking in.
Evening meal in Leabanese restaurant nearby, excellent food but served by miserable man who looked like the owner or manager - obviously didn't want to be there or maybe didn't like westerners. Food took a long time too. Rest of staff very attentive and efficient but appeared to be downcast - miserableness is infectious. First unhappy person I've come accross on this trip.
Walked around local area for a while, hundreds of small shops and eating places many offering western food, stalls on the pavements, cooked food on roadside kitchens, packed with locals and tourists. Massive overhead monorail passenger transport system dominates the nearby main road. Some cities like Hue are just big towns, Bangkok is definately a city city.
Keep in touch,
John

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 6

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 6
Walked, pottered, read and packed through the day. Collected at 7pm by Tuan as arranged for meal prepared by Quy at their home. Wow, it was even more delicious than the previous evening's restaurant meal. The spring rolls dipped in sauce were exquisite. 4 0r 5 courses with sticky white rice, all so tasty it was like being in heaven. Had to stop when I got full up again. brilliant.
Before the meal, Tuan took me to meet the neighbours the other side. Met the mother and daughter first, the latter spoke very good english so we all chatted for some time with her and Tuan translating for her mother although it is surprising how much you can make yourself understood with signs and gesticulations. The mother, a very nice and hospitable lady, poured some rice wine for me from a jar containing green plants seemingly growing in the wine. I just felt like a glass of wine, and this was very tasty but nearly blew my head off - it was like drinking neat whiskey. I enjoyed it very much once I realised how strong it was. We had some Thai tea afterwards which was very pleasant after the rice wine. The father joined us and I told him how much I admired his beautiful carved furniture, very striking and expensive hand carved hardwood, teak I believe. As I left he showed me a whole array of very impressive bonsai trees, plants and flowers displayed just outside their doorway. He must have worked over many years to produce these.
Back to Tuan and Quy's, more photos of them with Tao and Nung who were on the go all of the time but behaved impecably all evening.
Eventually driven back to hotel by Quy after a super and memorable evening.
All the Best,
John

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 5

Vietnam and Thailand day 5
A wandering about day. Walked around old part of city, you really get a feel for a place by just wandering around the busy streets where people live and work and sell from their shops and stalls and walk by or cycle/moped by. Record number on a moped still 5, keep looking for a six.

I broke one of my rules today. When people try to start a conversation with me in the street, I smile (as they always do here), say hello and answer politely their question which is usually 'where do you come from' and keep walking, saying no thank you if they are trying to sell something or get you into their tuc tuc (open taxi). Anyway, today a moped carrying a man and a woman stopped a few meters in front of me and the man said hello, where do you come from and I responded as above and walked on past them. They drove on but stopped again 20m ahead of me. This time the man told me that he was a teacher of english and his wife (on the moped with him) had told him to stop again and invite me back to their home. He also told me that his wife was a cook (before they had their 2 children) so I thought it might be worth a chance so said OK so she got off the moped and walked home while I got on and he drove me to their house (not far). Well they turned out to be extremely nice people, Tuan the teacher and Quy the cook, interesting to talk to and very hospitable. Their house is right next door to Huy's mother's and her sister must be nearby because her little daughter appeared while I was there, got some great photos of her with Auntie Quy. Tuan and Quy's children got home from child-minders soon after, Tao (boy, 4) and Nung? (girl 21 months) both very quick, bright, active and well-behaved.
Taken to meet Quy's mother who was in the Pagoda 2 doors up. Wow - there was a buddhist ceremony underway, 4 musicians/singers making really good music, 8 or so dancers in full brightly coloured traditional costume and maybe 15 watching including mother. She was very welcoming, took me into the ceremony room and showed me where to sit. Entrancing. Back to Tuang and Huy's house, more tea vietnamese style, more chating and photos.
Then they asked me to join then for dinner in their house that evening. I had to say I couldn't because I had already arranged to meet a couple from north California, Tom and Linda, so Tuan said he would take us all to a REAL vietnamese restaurant in the old city where Quy said the food is very good and as a cook, she knew. Took a chance and said yes and hoped it would be OK with Tom and Linda.
Phoned Linda as soon as I got back to hotel, and fortunately they were totally up for it.

Collected at 7 by Tuan, Quy, Tao and Quy's 16 year old brother (Nung too tired) in taxi and 7 of us driven
via maze of back streets some not much wider than the taxi to restaurant which was very clean and very basic, really just tables and chairs in a covered area.
We were asked soon after we arrived 'do we like chicken' and of course we all said yes. Shortly after this we heard a frantic squawking followed by silence. It was nice to know that our chicken would be fresh.
When the food started to arrive, Quy insisted on being 'mother', dishing out the soup, the rice, then the succession of dishes - strips of green vegetables, fried pork, squid, noodles, and of course, chicken. Well it wasn't just delicious, it was super delicious. Linda found a small round purple piece of the chicken in her bowl, Tuan had one too, kidneys perhaps, but no, after Quy almost fell off her chair laughing, she eventually managed to explain to us that it was a boy chicken. Linda politely declined to eat hers. Tom and Linda were full before me so got some of their portions. It was so good I could have kept going all evening but unfortunately started to get full myself too. A real taste of Hue people, culture and food, a wonderful evening enjoyed by all to complete an exceptional day.
Tuan and Quy invited me back for a meal in their house the next evening so I said yes please. (Tom and Linda flying out next morning, I'm scheduled to fly to Bangkok day after tomorrow, so only one more full day for me in Hue)
Glad I broke my rule.
Bestest to all,
John

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 4

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 4
Took a day tour of the city, 20 of us + 3 driver/guides in a minibus. They have fold up seats in the aisle. Visited the Garden House, a Mandarins private residence built for him by the Emperor. Got a fellow tourist to take a photo of me shaking the hand of the Mandarins Grandson, now 78. Next to Tu Ducs tomb, very impressive, then to the An Phouc Restaurant for lunch - soup followed by a selection of meats and vegetables presented on separate plates for you to take which you want with your boiled rice I tried them all, a delicious meal. I sat with a couple from the Blue Mountains behind Sydney, a couple from Kiev (U kraine) and an Indian lady from Surrey, all very pleasant to chat with. Next to the Palace and tomb of Emperor Khai Dinh, an early 20th century King of the Nguyen Dynasty controlled by the french. Then to P & T of E Minh Mang a long raining early 19th century 2nd king of the Dynasty who, our guide informed us, pushed the country into great advances in agriculture. Next the Pagoda in honour of the Heavenly Lady. In Vietnam, 70% of the population are Buddhists who worship dead kings and heros in Temples and Tombs and Buddha in Pagodas. (They have 3 Buddhas, past present and future). From this Pagoda, in 1963, former Monk Thich Quang Duc drove to Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) and set himself on fire to protest against the South Vietnamese regimes treatment of Buddhists. The whole world saw it on television. TQD is now revered for turning the tide against Buddhism in the South. He was burnt to a cinder but his heart was undamaged so they have got that on show somewhere. Back to the Pagoda, I was fascinated to watch and listen to 30 monks chanting and singing in front of their Buddha. Aged about 8 to 30, they wore robes of different colours and haircuts according to their seniority. I was quite entranced and almost late for the last bit of the tour, a boat trip up the river. This was slightly more exciting than a bus ride up the M4. And that was the end of the tour which actually was very good. The chief guide was a university graduate in english language so spoke it quite well but with a strong accent. The Vietnamese I suspect are taught english by other Vietnamese, a bit like the french learning english from Inspector Clouseau. They pronounce the words as they would in their own language. Fair enough and by listening carefully you can follow most of it quite well. It is more difficult for other nationalities however, who often have to accept the double whammy of having a guide speaking foreign language (english) being spoken with a strong local accent. I remember my Danish friends on last years tour having some difficulty. Just been introduced to Peter sitting next to me in the Internet shop. He is dutch and lives in Thailand working as a tour guide for groups from the Netherlands.
Sorry, have I droned on?
Best wishes to everyone,
John

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 3

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 3
Quieter day today, had a good look around Ho Chi Minh museum, which covered his life from early days at school and as a student near and in Hue, through his struggle for independance from the french achieved in 1949 and the unification of Vietnam in 1969. He died in 1969. Known as Uncle Ho, he is revered throughout the country.
Next did the whole riverside walk on the south bank followed by an early evening meal at Bloom Restaurant. This is staffed by students in support of an organisation called 'Aid to Children Without Parents Inc'. Very clean and smart, excellent food and service, friendly as it seems everywhere/one is in Vietnam, I think I'll be coming back here.
Traffic lights in Vietnam have a digital display of how many seconds remain before lights change, red reducing seconds when on stop, green when on go. What a good idea I thought. Quite a few moped riders ignore red lights of course, especially when turning right. As previously reported, the rules of the road appear to be optional. The fact that they drive on the right does not mean that nobody drives on the left. There are very few cars in Hue so it is mostly mopeds and bicycles and they have developed great skills in avoiding collisions with other mopeds, cars, bikes, wandering english pensioners, etc.. Crossing the road is exhillerating stuff.
A very pleasant day.
If we could all be as happy as people are here, the world would be a better place. It's a really nice place to be.
So best wishes for happiness to everyone,
John

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 2

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 2
Walked to the market today, it's 1/4 mile long x about 100m, some outside, some covered including a 2 storey building similar to the one in Ha Noi. Stalls packed together and piled high with everything you can think of. Very narrow passageways between stalls, packed with local people, very few westerners. All very friendly, bought a Hue teeshirt,water, milk powder, (can't find liquid milk) washing powder. Who needs supermarkets, haven't seen one here yet. Even away from the market it's just small specialist shops everywhere. All very friendly but they will sell you the entire contents of the stall if you let them. Really enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere/bustle/culture of this place. One interesting observation: despite wet mucky roadways and paths, dirty buildings due to the pollution and mopeds roaring around everywhere kicking up spray, everyone is very smart and cleanly dressed, especially the ladies. How do they get their clothes so clean? certainly not in the river although I have seen some people doing washing in it but it's very dirty water. They must be using the laundries which are numerous here, not coin operated but people who take in washing.
After the market, walked through a large north-riverside park with raised beds all nicely planted out. It had obviously not fully recovered from the recent flooding though, with many paths still covered in mud left when the water subsided. The city is divided by the Perfume River, so-called after some sweet smelling flowering plants found up-river. The river is very wide and flows not much below the surrounding flat land on which the city is built. London and Hue have the same motivation for combatting global warming.
Ate in the hotel restaurant, an excellent viet meal, followed by early night!
Hope everyone fit and well,
John

VIETNAM'08 DAY 1

VIETNAM '08 DAY 1
Well here I am on the blog again. 3 flights via Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City to Hue in mid-Vietnam, all went to plan. Thai Airways excellent, especially the meals. Festival Hotel in Hue friendly and helpful, comfortable room good shower. Weather cool (unusually very cold for them, 10 degrees) and overcast, 10 days rain stopped when I arrived. No flooding though, rivers are at normal level. Hue is the old capital of Vietnam and was badly flooded last year when I came with the group.
Excellent first day spent walking around 'The Citadel' (25 mins walk from hotel). It is about 1km sq. and contains The Imperial City which itself includes the Forbidden Purple City, the king's residence where no man other than the Enperor was allowed. Only him and his dozens of wives, any other man who entered was risking a terrible fate. A bit like Dorothy Perkins. It was all built by successive Nguyen Emperors from early 19th century. The Citadel contains many buildingsand walkways including Thai Hoa Palace (The Palace of Supreme Harmony) (1805). Here were held bi-monthly grand audiences and ceremonies of the Nguyen Court presided over by the Emperor sitting on the Throne escorted by male members of the Royal family. The Manderins stood in lines facing the Palace according to rank. Soldiers on the right, acedemics on the left, this we were told coincides with the two sides of our brain and their functions. The women had to stay at home and do the washing and ironing. Many other impressive structures remain including the massive Noon Gate and the To Temple which has a line of alters each for worshipping a departed King of the Nguyen Dynasty.
Many buildings were destroyed by the japanese and americans but quite a few still stand and others are being restored. The Duyet Thai Royal Theatre (1826) was designed for the performing of Classical Operas and Royal Arts (music, singing, dancing, plays). It still holds live performances, with which if you pay a bit extra, you can have a pasty and cup of .tea. There were 10 musicians playing various traditional vietnamese instruments, 4 actors in a very expressive play and 16 dancers/singers. Also 2 unicorns that looked like panto dragons (one in the front/head and one in the back like a panto horse) who danced around frantically, mated and produced a baby unicorn/dragon who dropped out of the back of one of the dragons and proceeded to dance also. The pasty was a bit dry but the tea was very nice.
After the Royal Arts performance, I walked what seemed miles around the grounds, buildings and remains of buildings. One elegant structure was the Throne Room where the Emperor received important guests. A side room contained an exhibition of beautiful and striking modern paintings by the artist Hoang Thanh Phong. Now 29, he was there and was very interesting to talk to. While subsequently I was looking through his book of paintings, he secretly sketched my portrait - I will show you when I get back to UK. He said I look like Uncle Ho (Chi Minh), a real compliment in Vietnam. I offered to pay but he declined saying it was a souvenier.
There are lots of lakes and moats, some with hundreds of lotus flowers floating on the surface - beautiful. The whole thing is an astonishing monument to Vietnamese culture, architecture and history, with much beauty and many impressive structures and artifacts remaining, but also much sadness at what has been destroyed.
A great start to this holiday.
All the Best,
John