Category: Vietnam 2017

Village My Son and a Pain in the Back

October 24.  We walk on the beach to another very good breakfast, after which we are picked up in two cars to go to some local villages. Our guide, Van (pronounce “Vung”) rides with Carol and me to start. Originally, we were to ride in a van, then transfer to a hot, bumpy jeep to reach the villages, but we asked whether there was a more comfortable way to go and came up with this solution.
We stop at villages and see active, small markets, including one in which piglets are sold. You can get a piglet for about $50, but we decide to pass.
We drive to the My Son Holy Land. Formerly the religious center of the Champa Kingdom, My Son has been namied a UNESCO World Heritage Site with over 20 well-preserved monuments. We visit the Cham ruins of My Son situated in a remote jungle valley, the monuments interspersed with B-52 bomb craters.  Unfortunately, I manage to trip and fall. Minor scrapes on hands and knees, but a fairly painful back wrench, which slows and curtails somewhat our tour of the site. The others do not appear to mind the curtailment, because it is hot and humid. We drive back to Hoi An, making a quick stop to see some mat-makers.  
We board our private boat and cruise on the Thu Bon River with a 5-course lunch cooked and served on board. We see the villages from the river and fishermen on the river. We disembark at Hoi An dock and are driven back to our hotel. My back has really begun to hurt, so I book a massage, the cost of which will require selling our condo. The massage is quite lovely and may, very marginally have helped the back pain. While I was away, Carol, Chet and Nancy have kindly decided that we all will order dinner into our tiny living room, which by my pacing off, is at least 900 square feet.  We enjoy dinner from room service and return to the room early.  The hotel delivers a pad with hot water to help my back pain.

NOTE:  something has been screwed up with theblog and notices, so people did not, I think, get notice of what I posted yesterday.  If that’s the case, you can still click on previous post when you get this one and see yesterday’s post.  If you do that, and succeed, please let me know.

8 comments to Village My Son and a Pain in the Back

  • arnie

    Much better, Aaron. Thanks a lot for asking.

  • Phoebe

    The boat ride and market/village visits sound lovely (though you shouldn’t have passed on those adorable piglets) and the ruins look beautiful!

    I look forward to reading about your trip more in days to come!
    Phoebe
    PS. Sorry about your back pain:(

  • David

    Thanks for the pictures shot along the way. More happy faces than back in 1966-67. Tourism seems to be thriving, how goes the rest of the economy?

  • lauri pollack

    All sounds wonderful. Except for back pain. Hope it is getting better.

    Lauri

  • arnie

    Economy generally seems a good, David.

  • Barbara Sandler

    A week after my return from travel, appreciate your
    blog even more. Totally different cultures and geography but feel the excitement you’ve experienced,
    while exploring your unique and distant countries.

    So far your trip seems less daunting, than others you’ve taken. Without losing its own special excitement. Love that you were able to reunite with your (our) brother. And even capture each other’s likeness in a keepsake photo. (Vee hibish, as nana, would have said.)

    Glad your fall isn’t interfering with your enjoyment.

    Love from your sister!

    P.S. Wilbur would be horrified by the selling of piglets for profit!

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