Forbidden Purple City mark stone Thien Mu pagoda   A man steering his boat on Perfume river

Aug. 4, 1998 My last day in Hue    Known to be the most charming city of all Vietnam, Hue served as the capital between 18th and 19th century.  During that time, it was the cultural, educational and political center of Vietnam. Some of the relics from those ancient days still survived the fierce fighting in this region during the war.    Today our itinerary took us to the tombs of  ancient emperors and the Forbidden Purple City; the Vietnamese version of course.  I found out that an emperor's tomb was not just a headstone with some nice sculptures around.  Rather, it was a pavilion with many amenities such as theaters, guest houses, study halls, libraries etc., a replica of his majesty's kingdom while living.  These guys took life after death seriously. One of the tombs we visited belonged to Emperor Tu Duc who had 103 wives and numerous concubines but no children because he was sterile. He received 50 dishes from 50 chefs each day when alive and only drank tea made from morning dew drops that were collected from lotus leaves.  His tomb was built where he used to hunt and relaxed while reciting poem to his entourage, mostly female.  When he died, his body along with precious treasures were buried at an unmarked place and the funeral crews of 200 were all beheaded to avoid grave robbers.     These places gave out a serenity feeling.  They were lined with tall, old trees that yielded enormous shades which provided excellent shelters from the scorching sun.  Today these tomds were swarmed with visitors who wore Ray Ban and Nike sandals with bad sunburns.  There were several Vietnamese also. I could spot them out by the formal attire that appeared too uncomfortable in this heat and humidity.  We visited the total of three tombs, and by the second one which accessed by river, the elderly of the group had falling behind.  The heat took a toll on them.  Most sat at the refreshment stands by the gate sipping coconut milk.  The more energetic one explored on.  By the third tomb, half of the crew hung by the shark close to refreshment stands.    In the afternoon, the excursion consisted of the Forbidden Purple City and Thien Mu pagoda. The forbidden city located inside Kinh Thanh (The Citadel).  The Citadel was bounded with a 2 meters thick wall that covered an area of 10 km in perimeter.  There were 4 gates around the wall.  At the main gate, there were 3 doors.  The middle one was only passable by for the almighty god, and for no one else counting the Emperor.  The second was for the Emperor himself.  The third was for officials, none for the commoners.  We went to a hall where emperor costume was rented for the Kodak moment.  Another building where souvenirs churned out electronic hum of "Where the Green Grass Grow" being sold disturbed the serenity.  There were new replicas of original the buildings that were destroyed during the wars being rebuilt.  This place potentially could become a big tourist trap.     Next stop was Thien Mu pagoda.  This place was infested with clean, plumb little girls whom buzzed around like flies begging money.  I've seen enough beggars to sniff out a fake one miles away.  These kids probably were the locals who realized a golden opportunity from these fat, sweaty tourists who liked to hand out their green pieces of currency with the picture of Ho Chi Minh on it to get rid of a bugging kid.  The money was probably being spent on candies or toys instead of books or foods.    The last evening of my tour had come punctually.  It ended with a local flavor meal while Hiep, Ai and the Chinese couple went to another restaurant to have their Emperor Meal.  An Emperor Meal was a dinner and theater entertainment package. Beside the food, they put the patrons in emperor costumes and provided servants for an hour of service that included people fanning you, serving you food, playing music and an advisor (for who knew what). All for 40 American buckaroos a person.  Ironically, the Chinese couple's camera ran out of batteries during the royal treatment while their servants blew out the candles with their gigantic fan.    Back at the restaurant, Jimmy, the French kid and Tho found a tiny newly born kitten.  They ran all over the place  trying to get people adopted it.   They knocked on my door.  They went across the street to the lady in the cafe.  Finally, they left it where they found and arrived to dinner late.   I debated with Jimmy as why should a person care more for an unfortunate kitten while many other orphaned kids ran around the city feeding themselves off other people's left over.  Unfortunately, the conversation turned out to be bilingual, French and English.  We din't know what each other said as his mother quietly abstained.    I decided to rent a bike for a ride after dinner.   Picked up Tho, we paddled down the big boulevard along the Pefume River.   It was weird hanging with him, mostly because he could shield me from attention.  I was less noticeable when he was next to me.  He was a great bodyguard as he warded off hawkers by screaming at them on top of his lung.  The little man was unbelievable.    We went from one end of town to the other on a rickety bike.  I realized that operating a vehicle in Vietnam required extra cautionary and demanded much attention and reflexes when a motorbike cut me off. I visited the cafe across the street after returning the bike. Sat down on the white plastic lawn chair for one last drink and smoke in Hue, I wished to have one more day here.  I could really enjoy discovering this city through its clear, wide, picturesque river or its trees lined road that contained much blossoming daily life.