Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Perfume Pagoda

We spent our last day in Hanoi on a day trip out to Perfume Pagoda.

After a 1.5 hour drive, we boarded a row boat for 6 passengers. The trip up the river took about 1.5 hours as well.


The boats are generally rowed by women. Ours was rowed by this kid (you can see him behind us). He looks to be about 15 or 16 to me. We were the slowest boat on the river.


Some locals on shore bringing home a harvest from their rice paddy.



The entire trip was lined with these small but steep mountains on both sides. Beautiful.



A lady working by herself in her rice paddy. This work looks terrible, it's got to be hard on the back as well as wet and cold. Most people in the paddies wear high rubber boots or hip waders like this lady, but her hands must still be freezing. Some of the poorer workers were doing this work in bare feet. They have likely been toughened by experience, but still.




We ran into 4 of these fisherman on our trip up-stream. They've rigged a car battery with wire connectes to a pole with a small net on the end for scooping. when the scooper pole is dipped in the water, it electrocutes near by fish. The stunned fish float to the surface and a scooped up and thrown into the boat. They seem to get a fish about every 10 second or so.


The beginning of a VERY steep 45 min hike up to Perfume Pagoda



Now, I'm going to side track here for a minute. This is the gate to another pagoda at the bottom of the mountain. The famous Perfume Pagoda is at the top.


Vicky like the handles on the front gate.




This is what pagodas usually look like (in my experience).







The gate to the Padoda at the bottom of the mountain.




After a demanding and sweaty hike, Vicky is standing in front of Perfume Pagoda


I don't really understand whay this is called a pagoda?.?.?. I suppose because it fulfills the same purpose.



One of the alters inside the pagoda.



Two of the alters inside Perfume Pagoda.







A really great day in Vietnam. ;)

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