On the other side, right behind this "Dragon Boat" is the old quarter and the "Citadel" located.
We went to visit it, as also this place has been under the protection and support of UNESCO. There had a lot renovations already been done, but this place still needs a lot more love before it will shine in it's old glory.
In the center we encountered a grand reception hall with a thrown and many gold ornaments around it. A small scale model showed the size of the old city and palace buildings.
There were the renovations were finished the elegance and decorative details sparkled in the sun. As we were some of the last visitors we had the palace almost by ourselves.
As the evening fell, the colorful lights of the city shown on the river. A light illuminating one of the bridges over the river changed it's colors as well and created a beautiful atmosphere.
A night market is along the shore and offers all different kind of things. One part of it are food stalls that present on a buffet sea and river fishes, snails and mussels which they prepare for you to delicious meals on the BBQ.
I made a selection of local specialities including mussels I've never seen before, a fantastic fish and a local salad dish. We indulged in the flavors, the smell of delicious food around us and the river right next to us.
For the next day we booked a dragon boat cruise on the Perfume river to some tombs and cultural sites. This was the day when the previous helmet training from my mum paid off and she had to break her promise that she would never sit on a motorbike. As we had no choice then to take the sent type of transportation to get to the boat landing place for our tour, she had to get over her fears. With 69 years she was forced by me to climb the bike. For Chrisy, me and all the other spectators it was rather amusing, as my mum was sobbing and crying whilst she put the helmet on and held on to her driver.
After a 5min drive she almost fell of the bike when we arrived and starting to give kisses to her driver and to all other people who were near her. A sobbing stopped after another 5 min and the color came back into her face and the excitement of the tour came up when she saw the dragon boat which would cruise us down the river.
Our first stop was at a garden house surrounded by many different fruit trees and flowers. The Vietnamese felt eligible to take hole jackfruits from trees and cut large flowers off to take them with them. I wonder how this place would look like if everybody would feel the same and take a part of this place with them as a souvenir?!
Our journey went on and we had lunch on the boat. We came to a tower and a little pagoda where we stopped and visited.
Every time somebody donated something, this little boy was hitting the big bowl which created a deep sound.
On our way to the next stop we were able to see and follow the life at the river closely. There was always something to be seen along the way.
One of the highlights for me on this tour was the visit of the "Khai Din Tomb". The stone sculptures of a variety of the old rulers army greeted us after climbing some steep stairs.
In the inside was a big room and a thrown which showed the old ruler. All the walls were decorated in a colorful mosaique and showed endless dragons and other animals and objects. I was deeply impressed by this place. It is only 60 - 70 years old, but I still think this will still impress in many many years.
It was an impressive tour to magnicifant tombs and places. We had an incredible time.
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