VN Trip-Day5-A Road Trip to Khai Dinh Tomb

Our boat driver told us that we would have to take the motorbike to our next site - Khai Dinh Tomb. We pulled up to the side of Perfume River, to a hut where a bunch of guys with mopeds hung out. After price negotiation and agreement, we headed out, taking dirt roads and small bridges to get to Khai Dinh.
This was actually my favorite part of the trip, riding on the back of 'xe om', taking the back roads, seeing the kids getting out of school, walking the bike while crossing a rickety bridge.
Finally, we get to Khai Dinh Tomb. It was on a hill. You need to climb 66 steps before entering the tomb area.
In the center, there is an octagonal stele monument.
On each side of the courtyard, two rows of stone statues faced the court center with imposing pillars.
Then you need to go up 3 more levels to get to the altar monument.
Dragons guard the doorway to the tomb before entering a room with ornate decorations including bits of broken glass and porcelain embedded in cement.
Khai Dinh, the next to the last emperor, twelfth king of the Nguyen dynasty, father of King Bao Dai. Bao Dai was the last emperor and he abdicated to Ho Chi Minh's government in 1945. Khai Dinh ruled from 1916 to 1925, and his tomb majestically appears from the side of a mountain covered by forest. By the way, the emperors had their tombs built during their lifetimes and used them as vacation spots. Unfortunately, the tomb lacks the harmonious blending with nature that many of the other tombs and Vietnamese architecture tries to achieve. This is due to the fact that the tomb was built earlier this century during the French colonial occupation and under their influence. The combination of Asian and European architecture and decoration marks the king's special interest in European civilization. The weather-stained and blackened concrete walls make the tomb seem older than it actually is. Inside, every inch of walls are covered with three-dimensional murals made out of colorful bits of broken porcelain pottery. The outer chamber depicts scenes of the seasons.