[monumentum]

I'm just gonna start whining 1st. Not having a life at all... Look at how long I havent been able to update. School's killing me. I need another journey. I need an outlet for this build-up. I'm hoping to go for another - Malaysia this time? But I havent the budget for it as yet. & the bike license?! Still gotta settle that during hols. Oh man. Tell me how to satisfy this ever mounting wanderlust. I totally need a break! I hope I'll be able to retain that aftertaste for as long as I'm stuck here. Day #21: From Hoi An to Hue (20-May-2010)

Breakfast was vegetarian as seen above. Together with coffee, she charged 30k VND. Was that too much?
Anyway since the day b4 was only able to witness Hoi An Ancient Town, this morning was spent loitering beyond that area. A local temple (below):

Don't you like how the structure is dilapidated? The linen strung atop clothes lines in the temple courtyard made quite a sweet composition too.. Loving the contrast.

Uh... Anyway, in a bid to find my way back to hotel, still ended up at another end of the ancient town, which I hadnt been to the day b4.

(Above) The river stretching across the Ancient Town. Scenic, though it was a considerably BRIGHT morning.

In the Ancient Town.

So basically the morning started out with the visit to the Marble Mountain Pagoda, situated slightly north of Hoi An, & south of Da Nang. Why Marble Mountain? It was totally a place to get your marble wares. Not if you're toiling your backpack around though. From tiny little trinkets to life-size (or larger than life) garden deco carved from different grades of marbles, countless shops line the narrow path which led to the Marble Mountain entrance at its foot.

This is why it's so important to stay fit before you start out on a backpacking journey. Hmmmm...

Buddha carved from marble. It was gigantic, really.

The interior of the compounds weren't any less impressive. Shan't elaborate that much... But there was the indeed towering pagoda which strategically sat high on the mountain, you could see it from miles away, if it weren't partially obscured by the surrounding's thick foliage.

Vietnam is a country strewn with places offering bird's eyes view, so was this pagoda. The entire pagoda was a delicately carved it was difficult not to pay attention to the details. The dull grey was no matter, I appreciate the carvings just as much.

I'm not sure how people (whether local or foreign) can bear to lay their hands to tarnish this painstakingly-attained beauty. Vandalism? Perhaps people only wanted to leave their marks, but photographs could've easily done the job. But er... It shows, doesn't it? The graffiti was in the Vietnamese language. Explains it huh?!

The beauty wasn't something that could be fully taken in in a second or two. I could've sat there for hours marvelling at the scenery. It was stunning. Not to mention that the morning was really breezy. Perfect to relax at that altitude, after the pilgrimage-like climb up the mountain.

This is how you lose weight when backpacking. (: Love temples & pilgrimages. Just try to forgo the meaty meals after these. It was hard work, really.

Trekking up the hill was tough. & this cave?? I'm glad that I'm er... can fit snugly thru that small opening that led to the top. Very rocky indeed!

So there, reap what you sow. The view from the top. Awesome, no? Vietnam is such a coastal beauty. The shoreline is something I hope they'd conserve for the years to come. Unlike Malaysia. Don't know how to cherish what they have. So much for developing all that resorts.. Eventually they'll have no tourists frequenting those attractions anymore. People don't go there for fancy resorts, they go the for stunning stuff like this here!!

Back to near-ground level (: Getting back down wasn't much of a hassle!

A brief ride through Danang. Very scenic coastal town too.

War memorial, was it?? Kinda forgot. Think so. It's in my journal tugged away somewhere deep on my bookshelf. But this lies somewhere on the way to Hue, from Danang. Views to follow. Thanks to my sense of... Guts? I captured the view from points where most don't bother to climb up to. It was cooling up there, but the climb was enough to leave one dehydrated.

From where I stood I could see these with my very eyes. Sights I'd die for, without regrets. Really, these are the things not to be missed in your lifetime. At least they are for me... Im feeling nostalgic now that I type this. Wish I could be there this very moment.

More scenes along the road. Gorgeous, aren't they?? The beams seem as though Heaven is beckoning us to rise up.. It'd be perfect if I could live life looking at these everyday.

The mountain roads & the views along them. A view onto a fishing village - something Vietnam is so popular for.

Below is NOT fisheye view, though it may seem like it. Optical illusion? But amazingly the road was really structured that way.

A cemetary where the graves are circular in shape. Damn I did not take a close-up of them. But er.. Should I have?? Superstition was dissuading me to do so..

Nearing Hue. Civlization!

Temple at the mouth of Hue. Intricately structured. But the caretakers were like eyeing & gesturing me for some monetary erhem... So I did make a small donation. Not really. I wasn't obliged to, but oh well....

Sunset as we approached Hue. The typical Vietnamese scenery. Partially urbanised with only motorbikes in sight. Lovely nonetheless.