Today we end our brief stay in Hue (pronounced with an upward Valley-girl inflection Hue?) and drive to Hoi An.
On the tourist front, yesterday included a boat ride up the Perfume River to a 17th century pagoda, Thien Mu, a visit to the immense Forbidden City (Hue was the imperial capital until 1945), lunch at another pagoda where Buddhist nuns served us a delicious vegan meal, then sat down for Q&A about their lives, and finally a visit to an orphanage (another pagoda) where more nuns care for almost 200 orphans, ranging in age from 1 month to late 20's.
The orphanage visit was surprisingly fun. The nuns and children clearly see themselves as one huge family, with older kids helping the younger kids, all in a state of what felt like happy bedlam with structure. After one unhappy placement, the nuns abandoned the idea of adoption. Instead the kids stay as long as they like, often into adulthood, and the nuns are their proud parents. The orphanage receives ongoing support from the Grand Circle Foundation, ranging from new dormitories to washers and dryers to a computer lab.
At some point this afternoon we will sit down for a round table discussion of "controversial topics," i.e. issues Hank is less comfortable discussing in public. Hard to say just what these will be, as Hank has been very open about what he sees as the #1 challenge in Viet Nam- corruption, which Hank attributes to the one-party system, followed closely by territorial disputes with China, Viet Nam's once and future enemy.
I have succumbed to a cold making its way through our group, probably helped in its progress by the damp, cool conditions we've encountered so far.
Hope to send photos later today.
Love, Toni
No comments:
Post a Comment