Preparing for the ceremony

One of the best - yet unplanned - experiences of the trip was one morning, in which two local tour guides, whom we had met in their small restaurant, took us with their scooter on a trip around the old emporor's town of Hué. So instead of strolling through the emperor's parks and castles, we crossed through littles villages where the school kids where on their way home, saw some huge cemeteries, local people making conical hats and scented candles, and attended a monk ceremony in a small monastery in the middle of the woods. We did actually see some impressive castle as well, which featured Vietnams longest (stone) snake .... Some of the best hours we spent in this country!