Mỹ Sơn (pronounced Me Sohn, or something like that) is an arrangement of ancient temples of mainly Hindu origin dating from the seventh century onwards situated 35km away from Hoi An. If Hué was the ancient administrative capital and Hoi An the commercial capital, then Mỹ Sơn is the ancient spiritual capital of the Champa Kingdom which ruled what is now central and south Vietnam from the 7th century to 1832.
The temples are mostly ruins consisting of grassy invasions of bricks, although there are still a couple of temples with roofs intact and still recognisable as places of worship. The shaping of the brickwork into carvings on the surfaces of the walls are quite interesting too. It is very popular and the place is crowded. Personally I thought there was a lot walking to do without seeing very much. It is also hard to appreciate without knowing a bit more about the history, and there are no signs telling you what you are seeing. I am wearied of ancient monuments now, I’m sure you can tell.
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| a local dance show greeting tourists at Mỹ Sơn |
In the afternoon, back in Hoi An, I rent a bike to go to the beach with Caz and Belgian Sam. It’s a few kilometres from the hotel and when we get near, we are pulled up by an official looking person in a booth who says we have to park our bikes in the bike park at five Dong per bike. It’s not expensive, but there are a lot of bikes in the bike park, so I am not sure that it’s particularly secure. Also, walking down to the beach, we find that there are people who have brought their bikes to it, although there are other people there who will ask you for money to look after them there....though if you have brought your own lock you shouldn’t need to worry too much.
The beach in the afternoon is populated mainly by Australian tourists and some Italians or Germans. The sea is flat going out from the shore, but on the shoreline itself the waves suddenly rise high and crash violently onto the beach. Obviously there is quite a strong undercurrent here, but I am a confident swimmer and am able to body surf (without a board) on the sudden shoreline breaks. However, I am likely to be fairly bruised in the morning.
Later, Irishman Shay turns up at the beach and goes into the sea only to find his swimming trunks’ wasteband is not quite strong enough for the violence of the crashing waves.
Meanwhile, lots of older ladies in the pointy conical hats come around selling bits and pieces. Caz eventually buys a necklace from one of them, and I spot some sunscreen which she will sell me for much cheaper than the shop prices I have seen for sunscreen. It only occurs to me afterwards that the bottle is only half full, and that it may not be real sunscreen anyway.
As sunset approaches, the white tourists disappear and the local population start to appear on the beach. Amongst these are ladies with mobile kitchens who arrange themselves in a row towards the back of the beach, laying out large wicker mats in columns that represent the tables of their restaurant. Each column is aligned to a particular kitchen, and you are welcome to sit on these mats as long as you order at least a drink. At about 40p for a bottle of beer, I order several and with the sun going down the chef / waitress brings out candles. We decide to order food, myself having some delicious fresh garlic prawns. It is only a shame that with Caz being with Sam, my date on this romantic occasion appears to be Shay.
When we eventually leave the beach, our bikes are the last ones in the now unguarded bike park. The ride back to the hotel is a wobbly one in the dark.
My Vietnam Photos link
My Vietnam Photos link
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