Hue III

This morning we got to sleep in! Of course, that meant I got the girls up at 7:30 so we could be downstairs for breakfast by 8:00. We had breakfast in the hotel again and Mary Kathryn was sad that this was the last time she would get to have some of their chocolate filled pastries. There were not many on the tray today, so she only had two.

The driver picked us up at 9:15 and we headed to the palace and tomb of the fourth emperor of the Nugyen Dynasty. There were moats around it with lotus and fish and it was very serene. The emporer liked to write poetry and we saw his favorite location to get inspired.

We then headed to the palace and tomb of Khai Dinh, Kien Trung Palace. To say it was ornate is an understatement. He loved jewels and had them inlaid in the palace walls. It was so intricate and beautiful. His tomb took 11 years to construct.

This seemed to be he hottest day since we’ve been here. I’m not sure of the temperature, but it was hard to get cooled off. Lunch was next at an outdoor restaurant, but they put us in the back and had some fans pointed on us. They brought out cool towels for us to wipe our hands and faces and that helped us cool off quickly too.

After lunch we went to an art gallery. They had many of the hand sewn pictures. There were some framed where you could see the back as well and the back of them are almost as beautiful as the front. There are no extra threads and you cannot easily see the knots. I loved the ones of older Vietnamese men. It was amazing how they could show their wrinkles and put shadows by changing the color of the thread. They were all very beautiful.

From there we headed to the airport. We got there with plenty of time this go round and it wasn’t a panicked rush. I’m not sure how the tour guides do it, but they walk straight up to the front of the line and get us right through. It makes me feel bad because everyone else is in line and we just walk on by. I would hate to think they are thinking those Americans think they’re so good. I asked Tram about it, how the guides always went to the front of the line, and she thought they might pay money to be able to do that. I know on the morning we were late the guide went up to the counter and the girls said no. He bypassed her and went to an office and talked to an official to get us on that flight. There was a lot of "loud" discussion and I think they held it just for us. Not sure what he had to do to make that happen.

This is the end of our tour around Vietnam and the rest of our time will be spent at their house. We had a short flight from Hue to Ho Chi Minh City and then a van to take us to their house. We arrived around 8:00 and took showers and played with Bin. We then ate around 9:00 -- fried chicken and a fried rice that was prepared with a particular fruit that made it have a pink tint. It was delicious.We all fell into bed last night, exhausted but happy from our trip.

Today is the day I learn to make Spring Rolls, which will please all four girls. I will also spend time downloading the camera and organizing photos. They will be forthcoming soon.