Hue

Well, today we went to the city of Hue so we could visit the palace of the King of the Nguyen Dynasty. Hue used to be the capital of Vietnam. The palace was the first thing we did that day. To get there, we had to drive up a mountain on a road that Tram was really nervous about. She said it had a high fatality rate. We made it there safely, and the views of water and rice fields were stunning. When we got to the palace, we explored the throne room and learned about the last King of Vietnam. Sarah Beth, Tram, Nikki, and Mrs. Nguyen got to dress up in traditional clothes as a Queen, King, and two princesses. I promise, we will put lots of pictures of them on the blog as soon as we get back to the Nguyens' house. After visiting the palace, we went to a Buddhist temple, and then lunch. After lunch, we visited a market that was selling those traditional hats that I love so much; me and Sarah Beth each bought one! After relaxing at the hotel and having dinner, we went to a boat on a river in Vietnam that passed under a bridge that continuously changes colors. While we were on the boat, 4 women performed traditional Vietnamese music while being accompanied by various instruments, many of which I did not recognize. During intermission, we were all given paper lotuses with lit candles in them, and placed them on the water while making a wish. The river looked beautiful, covered with our little lanterns. After the show, we went to the hotel and fell asleep instantly; we are running on very little sleep!