The Perfume Pagoda

On our last day in Hanoi, we took a day trip to the Perfume Pagoda, in some mountains maybe 2 hours from Hanoi.  The Perfumed Pagoda is a significant shrine, and during the Vietnamese New Year celebration is a major pilgrimmage site (it was very quiet the day we went).

 

Your 2 hour trip from the Capital is followed by an hour being rowed to the base of the Pagoda's mountain in one of these bad boys.  Most of the rowers are women...strong, strong women.  The experience did not make me feel very chivalrous.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snacks for sale at the base of the mountain.  Mmmm, snake juice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Approaching the Perfume Pagoda.  Yes, it looks like a giant uvula.  The shrine itself is actually behind the uvula, I mean, rock.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mako covers up to show proper respect.  I feel vaguely guilty about comparing the shrine to a giant uvula.  No pictures were allowed in the shrine itself, so this is about as close as you can get...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...except here's the same view from the way out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The setting of the shrine itself is quite lovely, if very, very hot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'd say I look like I've had about enough pagoda at this point...which is good, because it was the end of our trip.