Tomb Raiders

 There are seven royal tombs scattered around Hue, built by various emperors (with perhaps a sense of impending doom) between 1814 and 1931.

Today's outing was to two of them, Tu Duc Tomb and Khai Dinh Tomb.

Before we hit the tombs though, our driver took us to " the incense village". It's exactly what it says it is. A village that exists solely to produce (and sell) incense sticks.

We had a go at it ourselves, with varying results (it's harder than it looks, that's all you need to know).

We came away with a couple of bags of sticks (professionally made).

Then it was on to the tomb of Tu Duc.

Built in 1890, it's the simplest of all the tombs, set in lovely gardens.

Tu Duc, the longest reigning emperor, had 104 wives and concubines. But no children.........

Apparently he caught smallpox when he was young and that put an end to his hopes of receiving a Father's Day card.

Despite going to the trouble of building a whacking great mausoleum for himself, it appears he's not actually buried here, but in a secret location.  So secret in fact, that the poor lads tasked with burying him came to a grisly end.(suffice to say they no longer needed their hats....)

However if that's really the case then who's in here?

Next stop was the Khai Dinh Tomb.

Built between 1920 and 1931 during the French occupation of Vietnam for Khai Dinh, the 12th emperor, and paid for by extra taxation on the peasants, it's the smallest, yet most beautiful of the tombs.

Inside, it's stunning. In fact if I'd been a Vietnamese peasant in the 1920s I'd have willingly starved so that it could be built.

The collaborating, money grabbing emperor lies beneath a golden statue of himself.  (If you've got it, flaunt it I guess)

Khai Dinh had a mere 12 wives, and only one child (fortunately a boy).

Rumours were rife that he "preferred the company of men". (His first wife left him and became a nun....)

Whatever. He certainly understood glamour.