Perfume Pagoda...

N 20 deg 36.833’
E 105 deg 44.033’

While my parents, their friends and my brother with his Fiance went south to Da Nang, Hue, and Hoi An, I stayed in Hanoi with my in-laws. I’d went to those places last year. To ensure I wasn’t bored, Anna’s parents took us to the Perfume Pagoda.

This pagoda is famous among the locals. Every new year (by the Chinese calendar) they flock to the Perfume Pagoda. This is a feat not unlike a pilgrimage. First one must get to a remote rice village. Then board a small shallow rowboat and paddle 2 miles. Then walk up the entire height of a mountain, about 900 feet. From there you go into a crowded cave to pray for fertility and fortune. Anna did this a good few times growing up.

We went during the off season, so I didn’t get the full experience. Anna assures me that it is so crowded you never see any part of the floor. I’ve seen the night market in Hanoi. I believe her.

The docks had only white tourists this time of year.



It started raining on us and we didn’t have any umbrellas. Anna’s mom got us some of the local hats. They say that these hats are natural and based off of natural shapes. I don’t see it.





Once we got to the other end, we started up the stairs. Anna’s dad didn’t feel like over doing it. He got us all passes on the new cable car. It was so much nicer climbing the mountain this way.



But we still took our fair share of steps.



At the top there is a great green view.



The pagoda is not a traditional building as I expected. It’s actually a cave, a foggy cave.





Anna’s dad reminded me that this is a good place to pray for children. I declined since I am going to the REAL temple next week in Manila and it will do me much more good to pray there.

Afterward we went back down. Again we rode the slow moving boat with a local paddler. I noticed the boats with Americans in them were riding pretty low. Tourists do come here, but it’s clear this is a place for locals. I think these boats were designed with the small and light locals in mind.