(This is part of my Vietnam story series. For travel itinerary & tips, check my My Son Travel Guide.)
My plan for the day was to reach Hoi An, check in into the hostel and then leave for My Son sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Vietnam full of 4th-14th century ruins of Hindu Temples.
The Tale of SRK and a Bus Ride
After having a lazy breakfast at my Da Nang hostel, I packed my bag to go to Hoi An. By the time I got on the bus, it was almost 12. I met a very friendly Taiwanese couple and a Vietnamese lady, and they started talking to me about how much they love India, Bollywood and Shah Rukh Khan. At one point of time, she talked about how much they love our skin tone and pinched me on my nose, which I found quite amusing. The next few topics ranged from yoga to Indian sarees, and before we knew, we reached Hoi An in about 45 minutes.
By the time I checked in to my awesome hostel and rented a bike to go to My Son, it was way past lunch time, so I headed for a nearby restaurant and asked for a Bun Thit Nuong. “Your Vietnamese is very good”, the lady laughed. Bun Thit Nuong is a barbequed pork dish served over lettuce, rice, peanut sauce and roasted peanuts. I’m usually not a fan of peanuts, and definitely not of peanut sauce, but hands down, that was the best roasted pork dish I’ve ever tasted in my life. After a hearty meal, I headed out for My Son.
The Tale of Late Entry
The road to My Son was really pretty, full of green farmlands on both sides. As always, I stopped my scooter every couple of kilometers to take pictures, before looking at my watch and realizing how late I am. I reached at 4.50, just few minutes before the last entry tickets get issued. Once I was in, however, I realized that it was a blessing in disguise since I reached almost during the golden hour and the last batch of visitors was returning, which meant I had the whole place to myself! Since the actual ruins are pretty far inside the jungles, there are free buggies provided from the gate to various clusters of ruins.
Once I reached, I freely started roaming around all the clusters of ruins – which were extremely beautiful. The ruins were not only like what I had imagined (by looking at pictures) but were looking even more beautiful during sunset. I attempted a couple of time-lapses as well.
There are multiple clusters of ruins, all in different states. I was happy to see a plaque mentioning the help of Archaeological Survey of India in preserving and restoring some of the ruins. While all of the ruins are not in good condition, a few of the temples stand completely. Though the area is extremely large and is in the middle of a jungle, the chances of getting lost or missing to see a couple of them is low, since the clusters are numbered and directional maps are placed well. The entire area usually would easily take a couple of hours at the minimum, but I hardly had an hour.
There were a couple of ruins with do-not-enter signs, though I could enter them just for the fun of it, since not even a guard was around. They were empty and not active temples, so I figured there was no harm in trying to feel like a Tomb Raider. After having fun for almost an hour, a guard came over telling me that it’s time to close the place. Since the main gate was almost a couple of kilometers away from where I was, he offered to drop me in his bike to the entry gate. Such hospitality, much wow!
The Long Road to Hoi An
By the time I started back from Hoi An, it was well past 6.30 and quite dark. Only at that moment did I realize that my headlight was a bit dim. Since the road was a freeway without much traffic, there however was no cause for concern. I passed through the villages, looking at the moon and enjoying the big empty road at night. I crossed quite a few fruit and vegetable markets on my way, and the produces looked quite tempting. I bought a couple of fruits, parked my bike and ate it in peace, since I was in no hurry to get back to Hoi An.
It took me about an hour and a half to get back. By the time I reached Hoi An, the entire city was lit with lanterns like every other night – more so for the lantern festival the next day – making it one of the most beautiful roads I’ve ever walked on. But that’s a story for another day!
How Much Did I Spend?
Here’s the rough estimate for the day:
Hostel 150,000 VND
Commute 180,000 VND (Bike 150,000; Bus 30,000)
Sightseeing 150,000 VND (Entrance fee for My Son)
Food & Drinks 120,000 VND
Total 600,000 VND/ Rs.1800
(To read on the surprises awaiting for me in Hoi An, the city of lanterns and another UNESCO World Heritage Site in Vietnam, please check the next story. For planning your own trip, check my Vietnam Travel Guide.)