Our first full day here we headed off to the My Son ruins. They are Hindu temples that were built between the 4th and 14th century AD by the kings of Champa. Like so many other things here in Vietnam, they suffered significant damage from carpet bombing during the Vietnam war, but they have since been declared a UNESCO world heritage site and restoration and preservation work is clearly in place. They must be a popular destination for school trips as well because there were tonnes of little kids in school uniforms there! They were pretty cute, always wanting to say "hello" and giggling uncontrollably when you said "hello" back. They also always wanted their pictures taken, and would tap you on the shoulder then pose...it was pretty funny.
The following day we rented a motorbike and then headed off to the Marble Mountains, about 15km outside of Hoi An. They are marble outcrops that we apparantly once islands. They have natural caves inside and Buddhist temples have been built on them which are really peaceful and beautiful. It was stinking hot and climbing up all those stairs was a bit of a haul but worth it for the trainquility and the views below. We went into this one cave that was absolutely amazing. I am not really one for caves because I find them just too dark and drear but this one was awsome. There were these small openings revealing the sky above, and the light was streaming in in long lines and it was so stunning. I was mezmerized and could have stood there watching it for hours. That along with the small shrines and buddhas in the cave made it such a magical place. On our way back to town we drove along the ocean and found a seafood restaurant where they have all the food still live in little buckets and you just point ot what you want...so Dan indulged in two crabs and we shared a beer all for $5. It was lovely to sit by the water and watch the fishermen reeling in their nets.
Last night was also a special night in Hoi An because it was the full moon. Every month from 5-10pm, on the night of the full moon they turn off all the lighs and the old city is lit up by colourful lanterns. It was so beautiful and there were so many people downtown, eating, standing on the bridge, sitting by the river and just soaking up the atmosphere. They also sell paper lanterns with candles that you can put in the river and let them float away...so pretty.
We also picked up our cloths yesterday....and....Dan's suit and my dress turned out okay, but Dan's shoes are pretty bad. They look like home-made shoes and are apparantly not very comfortable, but he will at least have something other than flip-flops to wear to the wedding! I must say, I was a little worried after our first fitting, given they didn't make the zipper long enough on my dress and I couldn't get it on! And this little Vietnamese lady was in the changeroom with me while I was in my underwear trying unsuccessfully to pull it over my head...hilarious. I eventually convinced her it was not going to work and she undid some stitching :>) Now it has a longer zipper so I can actually get it on...whew.
We are flying to Saigon tonight at 7pm so we are hanging around the city today seeing some of the old homes and museums since we havn't really done that yet. As it always happens when we stay somewhere for a few days, we will probably hit up our "usual" lunch spot here pretty soon. I still haven't tried the Hoi An wontons so that's what's on the menu for my lunch!
Bye for now!
Love Hanna and Dan
My Son ruins
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