I was astonished at the price of airfare within the country of Viet Nam. We flew from Ha Noi to Da Nang for about $25 U.S. It's a short flight, too, about an hour. The weather was picking up in Ha Noi when we left, the sun was coming out, but it was still overcast in Da Nang. We drove to our hotel in Hue City, the Morin, which was my favorite hotel in Viet Nam. It had a double king-sized bed, cherry wood floors, and we had a view of the Perfume River and Trang Tien bridge pictured below:
It was raining as we climbed into the covered Dragon boat for a tour down the river. As a precaution, my husband and I took Dramamine, just so we wouldn't end up face down on the boat and seasick. I don't ordinarily get seasick but my husband does, and there have been times when my equilibrium has been thrown off and I've suffered. So one thing I've learned about boating is to always be prepared.
I can't begin to describe the magnificent Imperial Palace in Hue City. It's been restored. Those columns that you see above are made from wood, not plaster or cement. This area of Hue was once the capital of the Nguyen Dynasty. The Champa Kingdom ruled from about the 3rd Century AD to the 14th Century AD, when its king married a Vietnamese princess and gave Hue City to the Vietnamese.
I found this lotus flower in a fountain on the grounds of the Pagoda. During the Tet Offensive in 1968, many of the buildings and historic structures in Hue City had been destroyed. But this fountain survived. Hue City lies just south of the 17th Parallel, the DMZ Zone.
This is the Tu Hieu Pagoda on the Perfume River. It's a sanctuary built in 1843, and is devoted to the worship of Buddha. We were not allowed to go inside the pagoda, but we were given free reign to roam the grounds and other buildings, some of which have been restored. There are still a few monks who live on the premises.
Everywhere in Viet Nam you will see livestock carried on the back of motor bikes or bicycles. Generally, they are packed in tightly. Our guide, Mr. Long, told us about a Vietnamese man who climbed on-board a train, carrying a box of chickens. When the train lurched, the man dropped the box, it broke open and chickens scattered everywhere. Since there were so many people stuffed into the train car, he couldn't make his way through them to retrieve the chickens, so he simply threw his hands up in the air and got off at the next stop.
Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub
---
Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.
Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.
Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.
The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.
