Subject: Report # 66 Da Nang, Vietnam March 6, 2016 Sunday Partly cloudy & 73 degrees 86 Pictures Part #1 of 3
Report # 66 Da Nang, Vietnam March 6, 2016 Sunday Partly cloudy & 73 degrees 86 Pictures Part #1 of 3
For the very first time this cruise, we had an organized tour this morning with our travel agency. Since we have never been here before, we always feel that taking a tour is the best way to get the lay of the land. And doing it with a friendly group and our hosts should be fun.
So we met with everyone in the Ocean Bar around 8:15am. The ship had not been cleared yet, in fact, the gangway was still being lowered from the bow while we watched from deck three. Until we were connected to the pier, we would not be cleared by the local officials until they could board. A few days ago, we had been issued landing cards with our names and a number on it. These will be used in each port in Vietnam, until we leave in Phu My, where they will have to be turned in.
The weather was weird this morning, with a low fog hovering overhead. You could still feel some heat from the sun that we knew was there somewhere, just not showing itself yet. This haze feels more like a smog fog, if there is such a thing. Besides adding humidity, it did help keep the temperature down.
It was closer to 9am before we were let off the ship. At least a dozen buses were waiting on the working pier. We knew ours would be separate from the HAL coaches, and also smaller for 35 guests only. We think we mentioned that there were complimentary shuttles to downtown Da Nang, a 30 minute ride each way. They would run from 8am to 10:30pm, and again on Monday from 8am to 3:30pm.
Getting to the bus first, gave us the chance to choose good seats, or least two where we could stretch our legs. That turned out to be the back of the bus. The coaches in Vietnam happen to be made for shorter people than us. With a bad back, those tight spaces can be torture for a longer ride, such as today. Over 2 hours to drive to Hue, would have been tough if not for the back seats. By the time both buses loaded up, we were one hour late in leaving. We would either be an hour late in coming back, or some of the stops would have to be shortened. This was scheduled to be a 10 hour tour, so we expected the tour would be adjusted.
The drive from the pier took us around the bay and past the long stretch of My Khe Beach, or China beach as the American soldiers called it back during the Vietnam War. It is over 20 miles long, and this morning was full of fellows fishing in boats of all kinds. The road eventually began climbing into the mountains, where we entered the Hai Van Tunnels, which cost billions of dollars to build. Once out of the tunnels that went on and on, we came out at a fishing village. The scenery had gone from beach, to jungle-like mountains, to fields of rice paddys, and water buffalo.
Even though the ride was over two hours to Hue, it was never boring. So much to see with city life to country living. Our only complaint was that our local guide had a very bad microphone, and most all of us could not hear him at the back of the bus. The assistant did attempt to adjust the speakers, but it did not help the fact that our guide simply did not speak English extremely well. We got enough of his monologue to get an idea of what he was saying. If we wanted exact info repeated, many folks asked questions….lots of questions.
Our first stop was a rest stop about halfway to Hue. It was brief, and we had to move along quickly, since many other buses were doing the same thing. It was close to noon by the time we approached the outskirts of Hue, the former capital on the Perfume River. Our guide said that 460,000 people live there, if we heard correctly. And the aroma most folks smell in the air is the smell of ginseng.
Our next stop was at Tu Duc Tomb, who was the longest reigning emperor of the Nguyen dynasty. Surrounded by his wife and over 100 concubines and as many children, the emperor used this property in the wooded mountains for recreation and hunting while he was alive. When he died, it became his final resting place. The complex resembled a miniature palace with a pavilion that overlooked a peaceful lake, ornate buildings topped with dragons, fragrant gardens, and hunting grounds. By the way, our guide mentioned that he hunted rabbits, and when they were not around, he hunted his concubines. The only persons to interact with the concubines were unichs (sp?). Concubines were chosen for the emperor, and they had no say in the matter. Once they were "purchased" from the families, they would never return back to their families. In essence, they were prisoners of the emperor, even though it was a supreme honor to be among the chosen. We had a vigorous walk on this complex, climbing steep stairs, touring the hillside ruins, and hiking around the lake and pagoda.
A sad reminder of the Vietnam War were the bullet holes left in the walls of the main tombs. The war had taken its toll in Hue with much damage, even to these historical sites. Our guide mentioned that since this part of Vietnam is centrally-located in the country, it was a very dangerous place to be. Many of the local farmers by day, turned out to be enemies at night. With the war taking place between the North and the South, many battles took place here in these mountains.
By now, most everyone was hungry and thirsty (and had to use rest rooms, of course). Lunch was next at a restaurant called Moc Vien, suitable to feed large tour groups. It was very close to the tomb complex. Although HAL was not there, many other tour bus groups were already inside eating lunch. We had hoped for a more Vietnamese menu, but it turned out to be a buffet of international dishes, like spaghetti, rice with veggies, assorted steamed veggies, several fish items, and crispy fried chicken. That was the best. Two soups were offered as well as assorted fresh-sliced fruit. We had a choice of bottled water, soda, or a beer. We had ice cold beers. This stop was shortened a bit, so we did not linger at all. We asked for a couple of bananas, expecting a couple of whole bananas. The girl took off on a run, and came back with a dish of sliced bananas. We ate it on the run, thanking her as we ran out the door.
We drove a short distance to the Thien Mu Pagoda, a revered Buddhist shrine. This particular shrine is the tallest religious building in Vietnam. The steps up to the top were quite steep, so only one of us went up there. One of us did not trust coming down the steep steps after polishing off the entire bottle of beer at lunch. It was built in 1601 in an octagonal shape. The grounds of the pagoda continued much deeper than what could be seen from the street level. Many monks were visiting there today too. There was an entire corner of souvenirs being sold at this complex, but there was no time to look or buy anything. In fact, our guide mistakenly told us not to buy anything here, and wait until the next shopping stop. He was wrong.
The most historical site was next on the list. It was to the Imperial Citadel, built by Emperor Gia Long in 1804. Originally made of earthen walls, they were eventually replaced with stone walls 2 meters thick (over 6 feet). Unfortunately, due to damage from the war, only 10 of the original 160 buildings remain today. The outside moat is two kilometers around, then another mini-citadel is in the middle of this complex. The inner-walled fortress was called the "Purple Forbidden City", housing an ornate pavilion topped with nine dragons. No photos were allowed. We had a long walk to exit this complex, since there was one way in, and one way out, but going all the way around.
Our last stop was at the Dong Ba Market, the largest market in Hue. "Bustling" is an understatement. This place was a zoo, with narrow aisles, crowded stalls, dark and dingy stands with souvenirs, and so much stuff, you couldn't see it all. Keeping a tight line as our guide led us through the maze of high-pressure vendors, we ended up in the produce and meat end of this marketplace. It was not the cleanest in the world, but had to be the most crowded with locals buying everything. We did not dare stop more than a few seconds to take photos, or we would have been lost. Oh well, there were no souvenirs for us on this tour today, not that we really needed any more things. We do like the cards that are handmade, so maybe we will look tomorrow in Hoi An.
Time to head back to the ship. It was 5pm, and if the traffic isn't heavy, we should make it back in plenty of time for our 8pm dinner. Why is it going back seems faster than going? It took about 2 hours 15 minutes, exactly what our guide had promised. The sun had gone down without a sunset, because the skies had remained overcast for the most part, all day. The majority of the drive was in the dark, and the folks took advantage of that by sleeping. It was very quiet, as the guide also took a break. Before we got to the long tunnel through the mountain, multi-colored lights came on in the coach, and some couples woke up thinking they were in disco…..singing. Rather funny actually.
We had enough time to change our clothes, and show up for dinner. All ten of us were back, and it was really nice to have a full table. The conversations were lively as we all shared our highlights of the day in Da Nang and outlying areas. All of us were so tired, no one even considered going to see the big screen movie, Age of Heroes, in the Queens Lounge. It should be repeated on the TV eventually.
Taking a quick walk on the promenade deck after dinner, we ran into friends we did not know were coming…..Yvonne and Johnny from Amsterdam. They joined with the new group in Hong Kong and will be staying on for three weeks. They are so much fun, and we look forward to sharing time at the aft pool on future sea days.
Tomorrow will be another long one for us, as we are taking an 8 hour tour to Hoi An, a one hour ride south of Da Nang.
Bill & Mary Ann
The pier at Da Nang
Buses waiting at the working pier
Many ships in port
Local official
Ships
Different harbor vessels
Fishing boat with the "bowl" boat
The bowl boat being rowed
Pile of wood shavings
Local tug boat
Fishing boat with ship in fog
Another fishing boat
Many colorful vessels in the harbor
View of the ship docked
Fishing boat
Climbing the mountains of Da Nang
Guanyin Statue – Goddess of Mercy is 67 meters high
Villages on the river
Shoreline boats
Waterfront
Wall art along the way to Hue
Typical colonial-style home
Tram ride
River traffic
River boats
This was a pit stop
The shop/café we stopped along the way
Local girl
Rice fields
Very green rice fields
Home or temple in the rice paddy
The river
A few of the thousands of Peking ducks we saw
Rice plants under water
Blinds in rice paddy to scare birds away
Church – 65% of the people are Catholic
Fields are fertile
Still using water buffalo to work the paddys
Worker casting grains of rice
You can see the rice flying
Fields of rice
Happy water buffalo
A whole lot of boats
Shrine-like home
River living
Water surrounds a home
Casting grains of rice
Knee-deep in field
Typical narrow two story house
Scarecrows – Vietnamese -style
A very nice home
Silk embroidered bags - $5.00
The gate at the Tu Duc Tombs
The tranquil lake
Filled with koi and lotus plants
The Emperor's pavilion
Refuge along the lake
Our group getting the lowdown on the lake
The climb up to the quarters
Emperor's pavilion
Bonsai trees
Elaborate building
Place of recreation for the Emperor and his wives, concubines, and children
Central pavilion
Walls of granite
Ruins of the grounds
Concubine area
Tiled roof and decorative designs
The central courtyard used for recreation
Emperor's chair
Belonged to the Nguyen Dynasty line of Emperors
Family photos
Offerings to the Emperor
Every article had significance
Emperor's seat for the theater
Offerings
Dragon rooftops
Back down to the lake
Vietnamese young lady
Posing
Green lake
Emperor's garden sculptures
Protectors
Monument
Gateway to the tombs
Forest where the Emperor hunted rabbits
