After farewelling Arnit, Nick and I set off on our Perfume Pagoda tour. The trip was an hour or 2 on the bus down to the river then we were rowed for an hour down the river to one of the oldest temples in Vietnam. It happened to be their festival season so we were amongst the thousands! There were restaraunts everywhere with dead meat literally hanging from the walls that they would cut chunks off and cook up for patrons (I lost my apetite fairly quickly). We explored the temple then caught the gondola up the mountain to the cave which seems to be where Vietnamese try to visit at least once or more in their lifetime, needless to say there were that many people there. Thankgoodness they are generally short people because Nick and I could breath out the top of the crowd on the way to the cave. The cave had a shrine in it and the Vietnamese would all take their offerings and rub money over 'special' parts of the cave for goodluck etc. We took the gondola back down to the bottom of the mountain and made our way back to the boat. From there we made it back to the hotel just in time for Nick to leave for the airport.
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| The scenery out the car window on the way was pretty spectacular |
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| The scenery out the car window on the way was pretty spectacular |
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| The scenery out the car window on the way was pretty spectacular |
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| The scenery out the car window on the way was pretty spectacular |
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| Everyone was trying to sell something at the point where we boarded the boat |
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| The river we were rowed down |
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| These were very strong people (just one person rowing crowded boats full!) |
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| Some stood and rowed with one oar like a gondola and others like ours sat and rowed with 2 oars but backwards compared with the way we row (ie pushing rather than pulling) |
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| Beautiful scenery |
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| We past the locals fishing |
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| Nick and I on board the boat |
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| Rowing a boat full! |
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| Cats? |
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| Lunch |
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| Fresh meat? |
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| Hot bread rolls |
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| The entrance to the temple |
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| The 'offerings' people buy to take the the shrines in the temple and cave |
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| The entrance to the temple |
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| The temple |
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| Around the temple |
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| The crowds |
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| All sorts of goodies for sale |
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| The gondola on the way up the mountain |
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| The gondola on the way up the mountain |
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| The crowds on the way to the cave |
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| The crowds on the way to the cave |
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| The crowds on the way to the cave |
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| The cave! |
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| The gondola |
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| A butter fruit cake :-) |
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