Today I am taking a day trip to the UNESCO World Heritage site My Son Sanctuary from my hotel in Hoi An (Vietnam).
The name ‘My Son’ looks like you are saying “my son” but it is actually pounced “me sun”.
These Hindu temples were built between the 4th and 14th century by the Champa Kingdom. My tour guide referred to it as little Angkor Wat. These temples are smaller and less impressive than the temples in Cambodia but are dated earlier and look similar, thus the nickname. My Son is impressive but I agree with the criticism that maybe it is not as impressive if you have seen Angkor Wat first. Luckily my first visit to Angkor Wat is later in my travels.
This UNESCO site had lots of destruction in the war (B52 bombing in 1969 and 1972) as the south Vietnamese were using the temples to hide out.
Researchers are still discovering how they were originally constructed in order to try to repair them. During my visit I saw temples in various states of repair.
Bomb site
There is a heritage dance show. It is standing room only in the very back for me. I only catch a short glimpse of it.
It starts to rain, people head for cover but I find it to be a great time to walk around with thinner crowds.
When our tour of My Son is complete we visit a lady who makes rice paper. We get a demonstration on how they are made.
We learn how the the rice flour is made, we see the fire below, and watch her spread the mixture.
I try my hand at it. I spread the substance and when it is cooked I transfer it to a cooling rack.
Using rice crackers we make a tasty snack with the rolled up rice pancake. Locals take these as snacks. It is pretty good.
We are taken to a local house where we are served a delicious meal family style. We are instructed on how to wet the dry rice sheets and make wraps filled with delicious toppings.
I am in Hoi An, Vietnam. I have heard many praises about this place but wasn’t sure what to expect. I anticipate liking it as well and book about a week in Hoi An. I end up loving it.
I book a really nice resort recommended by a couple I met during my travels. Luckily I had a good number of credit card points to offset the cost. I say it is expensive for Vietnam it is but the cost is $50 a night; quite a deal compared to what you would get in other countries. The hotel is on separate island from the main town of Hoi An but it is only a mile or so walk to the main tourist areas. There is a periodic shuttle to town but I end up walking there myself on most days.
When I arrive it is raining again. I settle in my room and get dinner at the hotel restaurant. There are not any others dining.
The next morning I am off to get some clothes made. It is imperative I do my orders soon because it can take 3 days for the clothes to be sewed. There are so many choices and it is overwhelming. I end up choosing a place my hotel recommends. Not the cheapest tailor but they have a good reputation for quality.
I begin the couple mile walk. I could get a taxi but I feel I need the exercise.
My walk into town requires me to walk along the narrow shoulder while vehicles zoom bySome of many tailors in town.
I choose designs and patterns. Many have fancy suits made but I end up ordering one wrap dress, one more formal dress, and one pant jumpsuit. Afterwards I go to have some shoes designed close by. I’ll come back a couple times for fittings at both places. After my first dress fitting I decide to order an additional wrap dress since they seem to be easy to make and are flattering.
After ordering my clothes I walk around town. There is a ticket you buy to each of the sites but I just view them from the outside instead. I like just hanging out in town and people watching.
I stop in a cafe for lunch. I order some chicken stir fried with noodles and vegetables.
After my lunch I walk back toward my hotel.
It is hot out so I enjoy the rest of the afternoon at the pool with a cocktail and apparently a new kitty to take home.
I asked for downtime and I got it. My time in Da Nang is basically a bust.
I am able to arrange to van ride to Da Nang from Hue. The van ride I book includes a couple stops along the way.
Thanh Toan Bridge
First stop on our ride is in a small village that is famous for its Thanh Toan Bridge. little bridge Thanh Toan Bridge, a Japanese bridge built in the 1700’s. It is a quaint wooden bridge in a quiet town. Note: At the time of this post I discovered the bridge has been disassembled for possible renovations.
Lang Co Beach
Our second stop is at Lang Co Beach. We stop at what looks likes a once great beach resort but now appears to be fallen into disrepair. There is a place to buy jewelry on this stop (there is always is). I don’t bother going in so not sure if it was gold or whatever. We walk through the resort to get a view of the beach. If it isn’t for all of the trash on the beach it seems like it could be a wonderful place during season. I see some medical waste.
Hai Van Quan
Last stop is the Hai Van Quan along the Van Hai pass. Van Hai Pass is the curvy scenic road that you take into Da Nang. It is quite overcast today but it does still look pretty out the window. We stop at the Hai Van Quan. Built in 1826 by King Minh Mang the gate overlooks Da Nang and also contains an old French fort and Vietnam War bunker.
Da Nang
Finally I am in DaNang. I think I am the only passenger stopping here, the rest are onto Hoi An.
I had high hopes for Da Nang. I am going to visit that famous hand bridge, the marble mountain, and more…. but of course I am visiting during rainy season. I knew there is a risk of rainy days but pretty much my whole time in Da Nang consisted of thunderstorms, not unlike the tropical storms we get in Florida. I felt at home, sort of.
My room is on an upper floor and I have a great view of the ocean.
Storms start. I head upstairs to get a look at the pool. It is closed of course. I’ll try for a visit later.
As the storm progresses the wind gets stronger. The weather proofing from the windows does not hold and water slowly puddles in. I use towels from the bathroom to soak up the water so it doesn’t further flood the room. I later call to tell them repair is needed but they don’t seem too concerned so I just make sure to ask for more towels since mine are all on water duty.
It is later before the storms end. I am not in the mood to explore town in the evening. Instead I take pictures of Lady Buddha off in the distance.
I send an email to my family to check in and let them know I am safe. It is soon after I get a reply from one aunt who remembers my uncle getting stationed in Da Nang during the Vietnam war. I had no clue, war stories don’t seem to be widely discussed. It is odd for my aunts to imagine it being a vacation resort town now when my uncle had a vastly different experience here many years ago. It makes me appreciate how far things have come since then.
Day 2
It is supposed to storm once again all day. I decide not to arrange a ride to sights and just take more downtime since I am not in the mood to be out in the rain.
Buffet breakfast is interesting at the hotel. This is the first place I’ve been at in a while that doesn’t offer a western style breakfast.
During breakfast the storm comes again.
Got a little rooftop pool time during one the brief times the sun comes out. I almost have the entire pool to myself. It is a nice and relaxing view but doesn’t last long because the storms start again.
My hotel offers afternoon tea. I decide to take advantage of it today.
A couple hours pass and I am sick of wasting time watching movies and such. I am in the mood for pizza and luckily the rain stops again. I find a European style pizza place run by an Italian ex-pat near by.
After all that food I need a walk, luckily the rain still hasn’t begun again. I walk down to My Khe Beach.
My Khe Beach
On the way to the beach I walk by some seafood markets. The different types of crustaceans and clams fascinate me.
It is a little challenging to walk across to the beach. There is a steady stream of traffic and they are going much faster than Hanoi. I am scared to try the Hanoi cross here. Luckily traffic lightens up enough for me to cross.
The beach is nice and quiet with only a few people relaxing in the sand; it is off season so it is normal for the beach to be empty.
The rain starts again so I head back to my hotel. This evening is Halloween and rain does stop briefly in the evening for me to go out for a beer. There is a not so crowded bar and food area about 5 blocks away I don’t stay long because I am sure the rain will start again soon.
My stay in Da Nang is short and I pretty much miss all the main attractions but I am well rested. I’ll have to return to Da Nang sometime when it is not rainy season!
It is my last day in Hue. Yesterday was busy so I take it easy today.
I return to Hahn restaurant since my last experience was so good.
Banh Beo chen
These are steamed rice cakes, about the size of a silver dollar, that come five to eight pieces to an order, topped with dried shrimp, pork cracklings, shallots and herbs and served with a dipping sauce, steamed and served in small ceramic saucers.
Banh Nam
Yet another delicious steamed rice savory cake, this time flat, with a mixture of fried ground shrimp, pork and scallions pressed into the surface before it’s wrapped in banana leaves then steamed. I guess this dish is kind of similar to the other dish I order.
Hue is located in central Vietnam on the banks of Perfume River. Some cultural areas of interest are in close walking or taxi distance but I decided to make the most of my time by booking a day tour of the highlights. Day tours are nice because it saves you transportation hassle and it gets me out of my solitary lag. It is nice to spend the day with others every once in a while.
My Hue Vacations tour with tour guide Dany starts with a hotel pickup around 8:00 AM.
Thien Mu Pagoda
Our morning begins with a visit to Thien Mu Pagoda (see photo above). This iconic Buddhist temple is a highlight of the city.
After our visit to the pagoda there is a 30 minute boat trip along the perfume river. It is relaxing but not memorable. The boat operator tries to sell us souvenirs during our ride. I don’t buy anything but a can of soda.
Dong Ba Market
After our boat ride we have a little time to explore Dong Ba Market. I get to feed my love for food markets all over the world. A couple of my tour-mates aren’t happy with this stop but the market is right up my alley.
Imperial City
Next we visit the Imperial city and Citadel. Our guide points out lots of damage from the war. Some of the buildings that are still in place are impressive.
According to our itinerary our lunch is supposed to be at a local home but it is really a restaurant that built for handling lunch service to the various tour groups that come through daily. Lunch is pretty quick and not memorable enough for me to take note of.
Minh Mang King’s Tomb
After lunch we visit Minh Mang’s tomb. It is the final resting place of a famous Confucian ruler during the Nguyen Dynasty. The property has a long stretch of walkways that lead you from monument to monument before you finally reach the tomb which is only open on special occasions.
I enjoy walking around the quiet grounds. There is one influencer doing a photo shoot with her instagram poses but it doesn’t bother me today because the site is not crowded and they also did not block access from others while they were doing their thing – they were willing to put their photo shoot aside while others are around. I give them props for that. So much of my travels were “sullied” by instagram models rudely blocking access to famous sights.
Mausoleum of Emperor Khai Dinh
The last monument stop is the mausoleum of Emperor Khai Dinh. He was a very unpopular ruler due to his extravagant spending and closeness to the French occupiers. His extravagant taste can be seen in the tomb he built for himself.
Look at all the designs!
incense stick village
Final stop is at an incense stick village shop. We get a demonstration on how the incense is made. I thought about buying some to ship home but it was hard to pick out scents that wouldn’t cause me to get a migraine. The incense village is an interesting stop to end the tour on.
The tour guide takes us back to our hotels and I take it easy the rest of the evening.
Growing With Leala 