Trekking to find My Son (pronounced Me Sun)

February 16
My Son is a cluster of abandoned and partially ruined Hindu temples constructed between the 4th and 14th century by the Kings of Champa. My Son is located approximately 35 km from Hoi An set in the lush valley, overlooked by Cat's Tooth Mountain. The temples are in poor shape, only about 20 structures survive where at least 68 once stood. Today, My Son is a Unesco World Heritage site.

My Son was once the most important intellectual and religious centre of the kingdom of Champa. It was rediscovered in the late 19th century by the French, who restored parts of the site. However, American bombing later devastated the temples. All the heads on all the statues were stolen by the French. The heads are on display at the Lourve. The Vietnam government have asked the French to return the heads but the French have refused.

American bomb holes can be found all around the site.

The government has been trying to restore the site. They are unable to figure out what the Champas used to hold the bricks together. Here is a picture of a wall that has been restored

and the original wall.

The dents are bullet holes from machine guns

Here are just a few pictures


Shells found outside a temple

Sacred cow

Got back around 2 pm. I headed out to find some lunch...
The Vietnamese sandwich, sometimes called a "bahn mi sandwich", is a product of French colonialism in Indochina, it combines ingredients from the French (baguettes, pâté, jalapeño, and mayonnaise) with native Vietnamese ingredients, such as cilantro, cucumber, and pickled carrots and daikon. Brad and I have been filling up on these the last week. So today I was in search for Hoi An's version of a bahn mi sandwich (each region makes theirs differently). According to Anthony Bourdain of "No Reservation" on the Travel Channel has deemed Bahn Mi Phuong to create the best bahn mi sandwich in Hoi An. It was delish... One of the best I've ever eaten.

Went for my dress fitting, minor changes so I'll pick it up tomorrow. As you can see, you can buy anything here. Here are a few pictures of Hoi An.

It's a traffic jam....

While out on my tour today, I met a wonderful couple from the UK. They suggested I eat at the Bale Well tonight. It's not a "restaurant" it's located in back alleyway. There’s no real menu at Bale Well, just a set offering of fixings to make the delish rolls. You just sit down and they serve you a buffet of pork, rice paper wrappers, rice pancakes (called bánh xèo) a basket of fresh herbs (coriander, mint, Asian basil), and dipping sauce all for the amazing price of $12. I wish I had taken a picture of it. I was so busy chatting with another friendly couple from London. We sat and chatted for over an hour after dinner.

Tomorrow is my last full day here in Hoi An. I am hoping to get to the beach if the weather cooperates. Weather here has be a bit chilly... about 20 degrees and windy.