It’s nice to be back in the South. Ok, this is really considered central Vietnam. Hanoi is crazy! The people are less friendly, angrier, louder. Ok, maybe louder isn’t fair because people all over Vietnam are loud, especially compared to the Japanese. One hears voices raised and horns honking constantly all over the country. They would explain that tooting the horn is a safety alert. I would say it is annoying. At any rate, it is nice to be in the older capital. Things are slower.
-26 in Green Bay today. No question why we are not there.
We did not go for the Hop on Hop off Bus here in Hue. Instead, we opted for a 1/2 day city tour to start getting our bearings in our new city. First on the agenda were Royal tombs. Although there were are seven, we only went to two — the oldest (and largest) and the newest.
Tomb of Lang Tu Doc. Completed in 1820. This mausoleum sits on 31 acres and today, it was not crowded at all. That coupled with the nice, warmish temps and clear skies made for a perfect touristy day.
Later, we drove 5-6 km through flooded rice paddies to the tomb of the last king of Vietnam. Dedicated to Emperor Bao Dai, who abdicated in 1945 when Vietnam became a socialist republic, the mausoleum is the most modern and the most European in design. I overheard a tour guide tell her group how it looked like a German castle. No, trust me on this one, it looks French.
We didn’t see any Buddha’s in these tombs. Why? Because we don’t worship there. Ok.
Next stop, an incense village. Truth be told, this was a very quick stop. we just weren’t that interested. Maybe we were on overload. 
Then Thien Mu pagoda. This seven story edifice, on the banks of the Perfume River, is almost the symbol of the city. Built in 1601, we did see Buddha’s and monks here as well as the results of their many gardening efforts.
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