The Imperial City
Morning classes - Sinh liked to lecture in his crash helmet, in case of
controversy. If you were asked a question during a moment of
inattention, the answer '1858' was usually a good bet (the year the French
took over).
Much of the city was destroyed during the 1968 Tet offensive, but it is now being slowly restored
Cyclo-rickshaws awaiting the unwary tourist
Thien Mu Pagoda
This is an enlargement of the 'group' photo above, and faces are only just
recognisable. By my reckoning:
Back Row: David, Ian, Sarah, PJ, John, Liz, Garvin, Neil
Centre Row: Sue, Stephan, Jo, Thelma, Ali, John
Front Row: Julie, Leigh, Philippa, Jon
Does anyone have a better group photo?
Cycling on to Emperor Tu Doc's tomb, we passed these bundles of joss-sticks.
Emperor Tu Doc's Tomb
Emperor Tu Doc was in power as the French took over. He built his own tomb complex, and spent more and more time there. With no sons (despite having 104 wives), he wrote his own, rather depressing, memorial
Stalls outside the tomb
The Xung Khiem pavillion
This is the 'official' tomb. However, as was the custom, he was
actually buried in a secret location, and those who did the job
immediately put to death.
Nature is rapidly reclaiming the whole area
Boat Trip Back to Hué
We took the bikes on a boat to get back to the hotel - a much more
civilized means of transport.
This barge was so low in the water that it looked as though even a small
wave could overwhelm it
Off to Hanoi
We now said good-bye to our guides - Mr Lam (lorry driver), Mr Xiu (cycling
mechanic) and Mr Chin (coach driver), as well as our bikes.
We took an overnight train to Hanoi for the last leg of our journey.
