Day 250 (February 27): Hoi An, Part 1

The sign says "Please do not leave your children unattended." We're smiling because, technically speaking, we complied with this rule. Read on for more.

On Tuesday (2/25), we were on a bus at 6:30am to the Ho Chi Minh City airport for a short flight to Danang for the next segment of our itinerary. We were glad to be done walking on the semi-existent sidewalks of HCMC. 

Without customs to navigate, our arrival in a second Vietnamese airport lacked all the drama of the first. We easily met our guide, boarded a bus and drove about 40 minutes to our hotel in the beach community of Hoi An. Along the way our guide offered interesting commentary on all sorts of tours and activities available to us during our stay. After checking into our hotel, we rode taxis to the old town.

Most of old town Hoi An is closed to cars so we had a few blocks to walk from the taxi stand to a restaurant. After eating, which included some local specialities, we began a short walking tour of the old town. 

This is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hoi An holds a historical position as a port of significance and there are strong cultural influences from trading partners, especially China. We visited a Cantonese temple and learned about the four sacred animals: phoenix (beauty), dragon (strength), turtle (longevity) and unicorn (prosperity). 

We also visited a traditional home that has been occupied by the same family for four generations and is available for visits.

Our third site was a Japanese covered bridge that opened in 1719. There is a Taoist temple midspan and animal icons guarding each end. The construction was started in the Year of the Monkey and completed in the Year of the Dog.

The afternoon gave me an opportunity to go for a run. It took me about a mile to reach the beach on the Gulf of Tonkin, which was resplendent.

On Wednesday, our second Hoi An day, I did school with the kids while Elise and the Ronchelli's headed into town. Hoi An is also famous for tailoring so they went in pursuit of custom clothing at local prices. We went back later in the day for me and our girls but that's a story for another time/entry.

We did have dinner in town on Wednesday night, which gave us the opportunity to enjoy the old town in the quiet of the evening. All vehicles, especially scooters, are banned from the streets for a few hours in the morning and for most of the late afternoon and evening. This makes it perfect for stress-free wandering and window shopping.

And that brings us to Thursday (2/27), when the adults left the children under the supervision of two babysitters - local kindergarten teachers whose school has been closed as a precautionary measure against the Coronavirus - while we did a bit of child-free sightseeing. Our first stop was Marble Mountain. All I expected was a hike to the top of an escarpment that used to be mined for marble and now afforded great views of the coastline. So I was totally surprised to learn that the "mountain" has held significant spiritual meaning for at least hundreds (and probably more) of years.

There are five mountains that are believed to represent the five elements and Marble Mountain represents water. There are numerous Buddhist temples and shrines on the mountain and the ascent would remind anybody of climbing the stairs on Mt. St. Michelle and other lofty sacred sites.

There are numerous caves in the mountain, often turned into shrines or even full temples. Some are easy to access and some are quite difficult. The largest was the site of a fascinating battle/siege between American and Vietnamese soldiers (the latter hiding in the cave and determined to preserve the relics).

Our next stop was a place called Ba Na Hills. This was the first time in weeks that we had experienced topography and it was welcome. The temperature cooled, the clouds blew in and we were amazed by lush jungle. On the other hand, the site is a tourist trap beyond category. We had heard and read about something called "the Golden Bridge" by riding a gondola and we were game for a fun photo-op.

But then our tour turned surreal. First, we encountered the Floral Festival. In February and March they attempt to outdo the Dutch with displays of tulips and other flowers. There was also a wine cellar left over from French colonization (they built up here around the turn of the twentieth century). Oh, and a 27 meter high Buddha. Why not?

Then, instead of riding down (we momentarily boarded a funicular that seemed to be pointing down), we rode another gondola up and emerged into a bizarre theme park. It's mostly on the theme of a French village so there's all the right kind of medieval architecture.

 The gondola ride down brought us through some dense and beautiful fog. It was literally a welcome return to earth: descending through the clouds and away from the strange world up above.

This is what the parking lot of a major tourist attraction looks like in the presence of Coronavirus, especially when Chinese tourists are the main draw.

The night ended with a beautiful twilight and a disastrous dinner at our hotel restaurant. Not everything can be perfect but a day of childfree touring was pretty darn good!