Loc, Nhat, and Tan getting ready for the climb up about a zillion stairs. My favorite part of the site is the pair of dragons going up the staircase.
Loc, me, and Tan. Naturally, I forgot my hat back in Phat Diem and Tan forgot his too, so we bought new hats at the souvenir stand. They were 30,000 dong, very expensive Loc said, but we bought them anyway. That would be exactly $1.57. I thought it was worth the money considering it meant I wouldn't get a headache.
The mausoleum at thetop of the stairs if encrusted with glass mosaics. They were beautiful in the natural light that poured in. Sorry about the bad focus on the camera.
The inner room contained the tomb and a statue of the king. He was an egomaniac, not to mention a killer. He murdered many Catholics and ruled with fear and terror. Not a nice guy. I couldn't use flash so it's a bit off.
I was taking a closer look at the glass mosaic and found them to be spectacular. Then I spied something odd...
Yes, that piece of glass says beer. Hmm...I wonder if it was original or did they restore it with something more contemporary. Either way, it was good for a laugh.
A view from inside through the open window.
Here is Tan on the steps. On the right you can see the open window where I took the previous picture.
Tan and Loc on the steps.
Nhat on the steps.
Now we're just being crazy tourists.
A panorama from the top of the stairs. No wonder the king chose this site.
