Our last stop for the long. long day is Khai Din’s tomb. He was the last emperor of Vietnam. I was almost too tired to see this one, but I’m glad we made the effort because I think his tomb is definitely the most beautiful. He clearly had better taste than his ancestors! But he was known to be a puppet of the French, and not too popular with the Vietnamese. Well you can’t please ‘em all.

I should mention that Hue is Vietnam’s ancient capital, which seems to mean that all the emperors in the 19th century are buried in gigantor palaces here. The good news is that all the wives and concubines did not have to kill themselves (like their counterparts did in China) to mourn the husband’s death—these lucky ladies got to tend to the grounds for the rest of their time on earth. Speaking of unfair, I’m sure I already mentioned the horrified glares I got from local men for wearing shorts in migraine-inducing, suffocating heat. Yet somehow the more scantily-clad caucasian girls were not getting the same evil stares. Maybe it’s because I look subjugatable. Yeah, the male chauvinists got to me. How embarrassing.

Our first day in Hue consists of going to pagodas, temples and palaces in dragon boats. The little boat ride was nicer than driving to these spots. Davidson makes me take a pic of our boat operator because he likes his green shirt. Actually, that entire outfit, intentionally or unintentionally, reminds me of the Urban Outfitters catalogue. Hipsters, they are everywhere.