Day 11 - Da Nang: More Pagodas and Italy

We started off in the morning by visiting the Imperial City in Hue. I have to admit though, I wasn't as impressed with it as I thought I would be. I think it's because I've seen such other beautiful sights in Vietnam that I wasn't too thrilled about seeing another rich person's abode. In fact, I think I've felt this way about since my visit to India - seeing these massive structures for Kings while the people of the country suffered. I kept thinking about this crazy Imperial Gate and how long it must have taken for the people to build this from scratch!

There were several pagodas withing the complex and we were told that they too were very special to the Emperor. Every pagoda that I go to is different and I'm amazed at how much devotion was given to the Buddhist religion. These structures are so intricate, and still so well maintained. Here are some of the pagodas we visited today:

1. The Mieu Temple (in Imperial City)
2. Thien Mieu Temple (in Hue)
3. Linh Ung Temple (Da Nang)
4. Linh Ung Temple 67m Buddha (Da Nang)

1) 3)

2) 4)

While we were driving through Da Nang today, I suddenly felt a little homesick and nostalgic. We took the scenic road from Hue to Da Nang because we had a bit of time today and our tour guide decided it might be nice to go through the mountainside. We took this huge tour bus up the mountain and then back down and it took about one and a half hours. It reminded me of my honeymoon in Italy while we drove through Cinque Terre - and it made me miss my husband a little. :) I remember him driving our little Alfa Romeo up the mountain and laughing at him because his knuckles were white from holding the steering wheel so tightly. The roads were narrow, the Italian drivers were nuts and we were just married...*sigh*

The mountain driving also reminded me of the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia where we took a trip last year. It was very lush with greens and you could see that the people are really trying to preserve the natural beautiful of the mountain. Unlike the mountain roads in Italy and eastern Canada, though, the road in Da Nang had few stops to take pictures.

We stopped by a little road stop where they had some of the war ruins. I didn't quite witness a wedding but I did manage to snap a picture of a bride and groom while they were doing their wedding photo shoot! So maybe my goals are somewhat complete?? :)

Day 9 - Danang: Bà Nà Mountains

Today was an exhausting day...by far the most tiring I've had. It's also been the most challenging for my mother because she had to sit out on most of the activities today, unable to climb up to the top of a mountain and 100 stone steps.

Here are a couple of pictures of us going up the mountain:

When we got to the top of the mountain after the first cable car ride, we were told there that we need to go higher - to the very top on a second cable car ride! At this point, my mother said that she would wait because she knew that even at the landing of the second car, we had to do some further climbing about 2 more kms on foot. I went on my own and found the view breathtaking. Funny thing was, the temperature was about 25°C (77°F) and the locals were complaining about how cold it was! I guess when you're used to 48°C with the humidity, it feels a little cooler up in the mountain!

I took the second cable car back down and met my mother again only to find out that there was more climbing to do - this time, we would be taken up by minivan to the top of a side mountain where the Linh Ung Temple (Chùa Linh Ứng). There is a white, sitting Buddha at the top of the mountain that is about 27m tall! There is also one of the oldest wine cellars in Vietnam and when I was told I could pay extra for wine tasting, I jumped at the opportunity to taste some Vietnamese wine...only to realize later that it was still BEFORE noon!

The pagoda itself is fairly small but the sights up on this side mountain were beautiful and I managed to get a few wonderful photos. We spent about five hours at the Ba Na Hills Resort just exploring the mountainside. By the time we were done, we were famished and ready for lunch. :)