Extended Absence

Let me just clarify something: I love street food vendors. They are more often than not salt of the earth people and they always think I am nuts to take pictures of them cooking, but smile and always indulge me. This lady is making banana fritters firmed up with a rice cracker base. They are phenomenal and cost $0.15 CAD each.

Thanks for that sidebar opportunity. Hue was the old capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945. It is generally the midpoint that divides north and south Vietnam, so much so that the infamous DMZ is just a short drive northwest of here. Hue has an old-ish (in relative terms, 200 years for Vietnam is not old) palace enclosure and attached citadel that dates back to 1804. This was the main city attraction that I visited.

I was able to take a daytrip just outside the city to the south and slightly inland to Bach Ma National Park. The weather was not the greatest so I missed the summit, but I did do a short trek to visit Five Lakes which is a series of small pools being fed by successive waterfalls. They were gorgeous. I also saw the Top of Rhododendron Falls.

Next stop: Vietnam's capital, Hanoi.

# posted by Vijay : 2:39 a.m. |