Relief Map of Vietnam, 2001, Public Domain, Courtesy of the University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin.
I’m a connoisseur of maps. I tape, tack, and paste them up around me in all environments: work, studio, home, journals, and sketchbooks. My blog partner ybonesy is visiting Vietnam for a few weeks and I’m following her progress — from Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), north to Da Nang, and even further north and inland to Hanoi.
Are there any other map lovers out there? I thought some of you might want to travel along, a vicarious December trip to Vietnam.
There are reams of maps across the Internet. One of my favorite places to visit is Sacred Destinations, a site that contains satellite maps of sacred places all across the world. With a view much like Google Maps, you can click on the little blue balloons and find links to photographs and commentary on each site.
Though her schedule is tight and structured and she may not have time to do much sightseeing, I wanted to note that one of the oldest sacred destinations in Vietnam, Thien Mu Pagoda, is just north of ybonesy’s weekend destination in Da Nang, right outside the city of Hue:
Built in 1601 between a river and a pine forest, the Thien Mu Pagoda (“Heavenly Lady Pagoda”) in Hue is one of the oldest and prettiest religious buildings in the country. Among the many interesting artifacts housed at the complex is the car that took the monk Thich Quang Duc to his self-immolation in 1963 Saigon.
The power of place. You can read more about Thien Mu Pagoda at Sacred Destinations, along with history and photographs. You can also upload reasonably priced PDF travel guides at Travelfish. And find a collection of over 250,000 maps covering all areas of the world at the Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection at the University of Texas at Austin.
Dear yb,
I’m thinking about you half way across the world and holding the space (imagine virtual map pins with tiny red-dotted heads!). Because of one of your travel questions, I learned today that Minnesota has the 13th largest Vietnamese population in the U.S.
I miss you on red Ravine and look forward to your next check-in. Hope your journey is going well.
oo,
QM
This is ybonesy’s second trip to Vietnam this year. To read more about her travels, see her posts and doodles below:
- The Goddess Inside My Heart
- Peace On The Mekong
- Thank You For Keeping An Eye On Me, Mary
- Reflections Of A Weary Traveler (aka Unloading A Bit)
- Blogger In Vietnam – Is Speaking Your Mind So Dangerous?
- Reflections Of A Stay-Away-From-Home Mom
- Reason #1 To Be A Cool Cat While Traveling: The 16-Hour Flight
-posted on red Ravine, Saturday, December 6th, 2008
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