I've been experimenting with different times to visit sites in Hue to avoid the heat. In short, there is no way to do this. We visited this circa-1840 ampitheater for tiger and elephant fights last Thursday for about twenty minutes before heading home, and it was hot outside, but "cool" to drive through a few alleys and just come upon this place where the old Vietnamese kings used to park their war elephants. The local kids, out of school for summer, have a lively trade going in postcards, water, bracelets, and fans. They pop out of their houses when the vans roll up looking remarkably fresh!
Last week I tried lecturing on the Nguyen Lords and "localization"- incorporating local sites/beliefs into state forms - at Thien Mu (Heavenly Mother) pagoda. Heat-wise it worked out fine. Started at 8am and went home about 1045. The place had been an important temple to the Cham deity Po Nagar (Uma) before 1600 and the first Nguyen Lord, Nguyen Hoang, made a big deal of erecting a new Vietnamese temple to the Vietnamized Po Nagar (Thien Y A Na) in 1601. The tower is an interesting blend of architectural styles, not the typical Vietnamese Buddhist pagoda.
No trip in Hue is complete without a visit to the Noon Gate (Ngo Mon) completed in 1833 as a copy of a similar gate to the Forbidden City in Beijing. The palace area is huge, and it really is worth three or four hours, a guidebook, and some music or a friend for the long walks. Today we took the quick tour, visiting some of the buildings. Our guide, Mr. Chuong, explained how the tile roof-ends are done in the shape of bats (called "phuc" in Chinese) that suggest a kind of visual homonym to the word "phuoc" which means happiness. The lanterns are there on the front of the gate for a night festival that ends this weekend.
We have yet to visit the royal tombs, but I expect that to be an afternoon boat trip sort of thing with music following on the river.
No comments:
Post a Comment