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The extra passenger
Like this fella taking a free ride, standing on the back bumper of a taxi heading into Shillong. The driver didn’t seem to mind unless he wasn’t aware of his presence. Nor were the passengers concerned. There’s something universal about traveling like this, getting from place to place, without actually paying for your trip. Am sure we’ve all done it at least once. Sometime. Somewhere. Surely. 😉 Like this post or want to read it later? Pin me.
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Vietnam Military Museum
For those visitors who wish to understand a bit on Vietnam and its many wars for Independence, then a stop at the Vietnam Military Museum, or simply known as Military Museum is a must. It is Hanoi’s oldest museum. It opened its doors to the public on the 15th anniversary of the Vietnamese Army Day, in 1959 – a mere five years after they defeated the French at Dien Bien Phu. View of the B-52 wreckage in the courtyard A bit of history Vietnam’s history, especially the last century, has always been about fighting for independence. In the beginning, it was waging a war to get the French to leave…
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Conversations by the canal
There’s nothing more enjoyable than having a conversation with a good friend or two, however banal the topic may be. Never mind the hordes of wide-eyed tourists, like myself, sailing by in gondolas, clicking snaps like this, so we can post them on social media later. 😇 Like this post or want to read it later? Pin me.
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Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex
Ho Chi Minh is revered in Vietnam. He was both prime minister and president of North Vietnam and played a key role in the early stages of the Vietnam War. And what better way to honour a beloved leader than to embalm his body and have it on permanent display at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Ba Dinh Square with Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum in the background However, that is not what Uncle Ho, as he was popularly known as, wanted. Just before his death in 1969, he had left strict instructions that his ashes should be buried in the hills throughout both North and South Vietnam. However, his colleagues…
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The Imperial City
The Imperial City is, by far, the most prominent feature of the city of Hue. It sits on the Huong river, or the Perfume river as it popularly known as. It’s minutes away from the South China sea. And should be your first stop on a visit to Hue. The Vietnamese flag flutters atop the Citadel It’s exactly these features that caught the attention of Emperor Gia Long, the first ruler of the Nguyen Dynasty. Its proximity to the surrounding mountains also made it an ideal location. He went about setting a new capital in 1802, making Hue the administrative and military center of Vietnam. However, when the monarchy came…
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The Pagoda of the Celestial Lady
Thien Mu Pagoda, also called the Pagoda of the Celestial Lady, is a must for all those who visit the imperial city of Hue. Garden behind the temple with bonsai trees For reasons best known to us, we chose to walk the distance from town. While I would ordinarily walk around 7 kms without too much of a hassle, so long as it’s an easy walk, this proved to be a bit tedious for other reasons. It was drizzling and chilly, like it had been all that week, both in Hanoi, and now in Hue. Except for the Huong river, or the Perfume river as it is famously known as,…
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DMZ
All is quiet on the DMZ now. The bases and bunkers are no longer there. The country is one. And the area is a major tourist attraction. View of the Ben Hai river when driving However, it wasn’t always so. When the world’s powers convened in Geneva to try and sort out the mess the French had got themselves into in Indochina, Vietnam was split in half along the 17th parallel. A strip of land, running about 5kms on either side of the Ben Hai river separated a nation and its people. During the ensuing Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese and US-supported South fought ruthlessly, trying to gain an advantage…
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The Reunification Express
First things first. There is no Reunification Express. At least not officially. It is called the North–South Railway. Covering 1,726 kms, it is the main railway line that connects the political capital of Hanoi with the commercial capital of Saigon. View of the South China sea A bit of history first Construction of the line linking these two cities began during the French rule in 1899. It took nearly 40 years for its completion, finally connecting the cities in 1936. However, the line was continuously sabotaged and bombarded during the Vietnamese fight with the French, and later during the Vietnam War. It wasn’t after the war finally ended, in 1975,…
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Discover a surreal part of Budapest
Memento Park is like Disneyland, communism style. It’s home to 42 statues, busts and plaques of socialist heroes fictional and real. Rather than being consigned to the dustbin, they’ve found themselves another home today, albeit not where they would have expected Entrance to Memento Park A bit of history 63 years ago, in 1956, Hungarian students and citizens demonstrated in Budapest demanding reforms. One of their demands was the dismantling of Stalin’s monument in a park in Budapest, that was ironically, only installed seven years earlier as a gift from the Hungarian people to the Moscow and its leader. They proceeded to break the statue, leaving only the boots on…
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Vinh Trang Pagoda
About three kilometers from My Tho city, in the heart of the Mekong Delta, is the Vinh Trang pagoda. View of the temple It is among the most well-known in the region and one of the most fascinating, not least because of the three enormous Buddha statues within its complex. A standing Buddha symbolising bliss and compassion is located just outside the main gate. As you enter the pagoda gates, a laughing Buddha symbolising happiness and good luck smiles down upon you. A little ahead is the reclining Buddha, meant to symbolise nirvana. The pagoda itself rests on five acres of manicured gardens and fruit trees in My Hoa, on…
