SE Asia 2014 Day 7

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Today marks one week into our trip. Back home, it's Remembrance Day and we think about how this particular occasion holds special significance in light of recent events.

After breakfast at the hotel, we check out, board the bus and bide farewell to Hue. We are returning to the Danang area, but this time we are taking the Hai Van Pass through the Truong Son Mountains rather than the tunnel we took on the outbound trip. After negotiating some fairly steep climbs, we split off from the main highway. For the first time in Vietnam, we are briefly on a road with no traffic.

Then we get into some serious climbing. The road is narrow, twisty and steep. Before the tunnel through the mountain was opened, this was the only road between South and North Vietnam and was quite congested and dangerous. Trucks with dangerous cargos and motorbikes are still not allowed to use the tunnel and have to take this route.

As we climb higher, we have spectacular views of the coastline, including Long Co Bay, which Kien tells us is rated one of the top beaches in the world. We stop at a lookout where we can see Hue in the distance to the north and Danang, our destination, to the south. There are some vendors selling handicrafts and (frankly) plastic junk, and Violet amuses herself by seeing how low she can bargain down a lady on some faux pearls. ("Real pearls, lady! See no burn!") I explore some ruined buildings on the other side of the road perched on the hill. They appear to be relics of an U.S. military lookout. After descending the mountain to the flat land beyond, we can see huge sand dunes lying between us and the sea.

Arriving in Danang, we retrace our route past Red Beach. Danang is an important seaport and industrial centre and just starting to reinvent itself as a tourist destination. There are several resorts under construction along the shoreline.

We make a scheduled stop at the Cham Museum. It stands just in front of a fantastical modern bridge over the Han River that is apparently supported by a dragon! The Cham museum was built by the French in 1915 to protect artifacts from the many ancient sites that were fast disappearing through neglect, looting and erosion. It museum offers some 300 stone carvings and friezes mostly from the Cham dynasty, which ruled parts of central and south Vietnam for over a thousand years. The images of gods, goddesses, and mythical creatures bear evocative witness to a magnificent long-dead civilization. The worship of fertility and the union of linga and yoni is a recurring theme in the artifacts that we senior citizens find amusing. In a couple of days we will visit My Son, a Cham religious site that was lost in the jungle for hundreds of years before being rediscovered by the French.

Lunch is at a local restaurant. We have a room upstairs with a nice view. The rice-paper rolls and pork ribs are standouts. Lovely fruit for dessert: papaya, pineapple, passion fruit and watermelon.

Digression: Violet was told that there exists a red dragon fruit; that is, the flesh of the fruit is as red as the skin. She is on a quest to find one. Stay tuned.

Back on the bus, we are heading south to the nearby, much smaller city of Hoi An. On our right, in the distance, we can see the Marble Mountains, five karst peeks that rear up out of the surrounding flatland. The marble and granite quarried from these mountains is famous and reputedly blessed. We stop along the way at a factory where the marble is fashioned into ornaments ranging in size from pendants to 8-foot statues–all made by hand with hammer and chisel. We watch a craftsman at work and the women who spend hours filing and polishing the sculptured stone. Of course, there is a shop filled with beautiful items for sale, and we pick up some gifts for back home.

Another half-hour brings us to our lodgings: Hoi An Ancient Village. Despite the name, it is a beautiful modern resort. The rooms are fantastic: beautifully appointed and exceptionally roomy. An optional excursion to the beach is available, but we skip it because things are getting a bit rushed. We have been assigned a room on the top (3rd) floor in the farthest end of the complex, and it's a bit much for Violet's knees, so Kien arranges for us to have a room closer to the main facilities on the ground floor. The poor porters have just lugged our bags up three flights of steps now have to bring them back down.

While some of our party head for the beach, we explore the complex and discover all its nooks and crannies, then enjoy a swim in their infinity pool. Supper is at 7. It has a seafood theme. Standout dish is a pomelo, squid and shrimp salad. Sounds weird, but it's delicious.

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