Then when I did manage to get my hands on a program - there is no map, and most of the locations were a names park or something, which isn't well known, or marked on maps, or easy to find.
But I did managed to get to a couple of places!
The citadel had an "Imperial nights" performance. Basically lots of lanterns and lights and people dressed in traditional costumes doing processions and performances.
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| Lantern holders lining the pathways |
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| Girls waiting for their performance |
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| Life in the harem |
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| some form of royal procession |
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| the biggest flag I have ever seen! |
In addition there was meant to be lots of art and displays of traditional printing and clothes.
I went to a building which allegedly had art etc. It had big banners outside the gates, and right next to an open door advertising the exhibition. I walked in and found an empty hallway with lots of doors (some hanging from hinges or with panes of glass missing - all padlocked. It felt a lot like a horror movie haunted house. I went back outside.... and confirmed that indeed the giant banner advertising the printing exhibition was right next to the door, and appeared to be pointing in. I went back into the scary hallway and walked to the end. There was a stairwell.... with a printed sign saying "please do not go for looking upstairs". At that point I was pretty certain upstairs contained chopped up bodies... and going upstairs would be what the idiot in the horror movie does - so I bailed out of there!
Instead it seemed like high time to have a relaxing massage and not get murdered.
Of course, having a massage in Vietnam runs on a whole different set of rules.
From the disrobing while your massage lady stands there looking expectant, to the now we are doing a body scrub and she rips off my underpants.
The strange Dexter like plastic sheeting used to stop my coffee flavoured body scrub from leaking onto the bed (which she then wrapped me in like some sort of coffee flavoured caterpillar. To the finale - in which I showered off the coffee scrub, but wasn't allowed to wash myself.
The being naked-in-front-of-a-stranger thing was ok when I was lying facedown, or could close my eyes and ignore it.... but it is a whole new level of strange when I wasn't allowed to wash myself, and was made to instead squat so that I was short enough for the tiny Vietnamese woman to wash me. And then she kept making eye contact and smiling.... which took it into a whole new level of bizarre!!
It was a lovely massage. I actually think my back is a little bruised, because it feels awesome, and so relaxed - but if I touch my back it is tender! but when you massage in Vietnam it becomes a whole new level of closeness. A coffee scrub and massage in an airconditioned room is a pretty good hangover cure too!
Thanks Lucy, brilliant as always. Julie
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention my other entertaining moment of awkwardness - When I arrived in my hotel room I looked out the window (as you do) and immediately the cyclo drivers sitting across the road started waving at me (my room was on the 4th floor). My automatic reaction was to jump back and close the curtain.... I crept forward to look again (this time leaving the flimsy lace curtain closed, only moving the thick one)...... one driver saw the tiny movement and started waving again.
ReplyDeleteI became too scared to use the window after this point. Cyclo drivers in Hue are incredibly persistent and annoying. Also, they remember you for days if you engage in any tiny amount of conversation. I did not want cyclo drivers stalking my window.