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China BeachAfter our trip to Hue we took a morning bus down to Hoi An. It wasn't the comfy sleeper bus but it was a comfortable ride for $5. We were again dropped at a nice little guesthouse and we agreed on a room for about $18 that included a breakfast the next morning. We dropped our bags and decided to take advantage of the free bikes to ride the mile or so into old town and get some lunch. After lunch we made it back to the guesthouse and decided to rent a moto and hit the beach and then drive up to Marble Mountain. The beach was beautiful and the water was relaxing and cool. We didn't have much time to hang out at the beach because we wanted some time at Marble Mountain. Driving a moto is not difficult but navigating the traffic and learning the rules of the road can be dicey. The ride north was pretty easy and we saw lots of development along the coast. There were a number golf courses and resorts that were well into the construction process. In a few years the charm of Hoi An will be replaced by a typical resort
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filling up the moto town. We checked out one of the courses on the way back and it looked like it will be a first rate course when finished.
Our arrival at Marble Mountain was quite impressive. A helpful lady helped guide us in from the highway and convinced us to park in front her shop. The streets that border the entrance to MM were all filled with shops selling ornate marble sculptures. They ranged in size from 15 feet tall Buddha sculptures to small intricately carved chess sets. The craftsmanship was remarkable and all of the work was being done in the back of the shops.
The climb up the mountain was quite steep and the weather was again extremely hot but the views were worth the climb. Hidden throughout the mountain were a series of caves that contained hand carved statues of mostly Buddhas in various states of repose. They were all carved from the rock within the cave.
After Marble Mountain we headed back for showers and then out for dinner and the Hoi An nightlife. The drive back was a bit more hectic as many of the construction workers were headed home and the moto traffic was
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Marble Mountain a little thicker. We had a delicious meal at the Mango Room. After dinner we walked along the inlet and watched hundreds of people releasing floating candles into the water. It was wonderful sight although the pictures don't really do it justice.
We hit the markets for one last souvenir shopping endeavor. Chris was working his magic haggling with the local merchants. Whether or not he got the best deals, it was fun to watch him bargain.
The next morning we hired a taxi to take us back to Da Nang for our flight back to Saigon. We had about ten hours before our flight back home so we headed back into the city from the airport. Our first stop was at the Notre Dame Cathedral. From there we went to the Reunification Hall and took a tour of the former Presidential Palace of Ngo Dinh Diem and was the location of the symbolic end of the war when tanks broke through the gates on April 30, 1975. The tour was okay and it was neat to see the underground offices and war rooms.
From there we made our way to the War Remnants Museum. We arrived
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Marble Mountain near closing time but this place would be worth a longer visit. The courtyard was filled with planes, tanks, helicopters, and other military vehicles left over from the war. Inside there were rooms of photographs and other war memorabilia documenting the effects of the war.
We spent the last few hours walking through the city center and stumbled upon a very small bar for a couple of drinks and a very competitive game of Jenga.
We made our way back to the airport and began the arduous journey home. We departed just after midnight for the six hour flight to Narita airport near Tokyo. We had about a six hour layover so we decided to try and make it into downtown Tokyo. We made our way through customs and found a helpful information booth that provided us with some maps and train schedules. To make a long story short, the trip to Tokyo was a bust. The train ride was 1.5 hours just to get into downtown. We couldn't find the tour bus in time to catch a quick tour and still make the return train to the airport. So we basically spent three hours on the train
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View from Marble Mountain in order to walk around downtown for about an hour.
The flight back to Detroit was fine, but due to weather problems we were delayed through the night and had to spend the night at the airport. We finally arrived back in Indianapolis 45 hours after taking off from Vietnam. Even though the flight home was miserable, the trip overall was a great success. A big thanks to Chris for letting me take part in this journey with him and to our wives who let us go and took care of the girls while we were away.
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