[monumentum]

(In reality) I'm into day #2 of having my wisdom teeth extracted. High on painkiller & am now losing sleep. So here I am... I'll put down the picture of my souvenir teeth soon (: gotta get them cleaned. They're currently still bloodied in the container they came in after the op.Day #22: From Hue to A-Luoi town (21-May-2010)

How nice it is to always start the day with awesome food like (above)! Beef pho. Though it's common in Vietnam, each shop has its own specialty in cooking this very same dish. It's amazing!

Bright sunny morning, on the way along the road... On to the fishing village. Then I shan't say much. The views speak for themselves. Besides, I'm so undone now by the pain in my mouth, despite the painkillers... That tingly sensation is nothing but bothering. OMG fancy having 4 teeth extracted at once. WOW. (Side-tracked!)

My little angel from the fishing village who brought me around, & who gave me the opportunities to these amazing shots.

The kids in the morning sun, I wonder if our local children would ever experience such simply joys in their lives. They must have been assembled in school auditoriums at this time of the day...

I happily forgot the name of this pagoda, but nonethless, still etched deeply in memory it is, I could draw the map of it this very moment.

The pagoda overlooked a sprawling cemetary at the back of it (above) & a mini pagoda in the back courtyard (below).

(Above) The description about this car is as per follows: "In this car The Most Venerable Thich Quang Duc went from An Quang Pagoda to the intersection of Phan dinh Phung street and Le van Duyet street on June 11, 1963 in Saigon. As soon as he got out of the car, The Most Venerable sat down in the lotus position and burnt himself to death to protest against the Ngo dinh Diem regime's policies of discriminating against Buddhists and violating religious freedom."

(Below) Minh Mang Tomb

Royal tomb it is, it's no wonder. The place was absolutely serene & a tad towards the spooky side.. It did give me creep at certain sections, but from a dark corner a security guard would emerge to send the chills thru you. It was a wonderful experience irregardless..

(Below) My only human-looking counterparts. No, not a single soul in sight other than these little statues.. Terra-cotta?

The way that led out of Minh Mang Tomb (above). & a cool double-decked compartment housing chickens and ducks on this cool lady's bike. Hello fellas! They really don't look too well, must be the clautrophobia...

More awe-inspiring views along the country roads off the beaten path. We're on to a nightmare, guys! Night wasn't that pleasant. The day was barely too, in fact. It was 40 degrees celcius. Any water that went down the throat didnt need to be released at the loo, mind you!

Since it was a hot day my dinner consisted only of FRUITS. Nice. So they sell jackfruits as such (below), nothing you'd see in supermarkets.. Why is the lighting so odd, you'd ask? Simply cos I took this in a black-out. Our little inn in A-Luoi Town did not have a generator & the whole town was thrown into pitch darkness ;X so there. It was creepy.. It was getting dark. The lady owner said electricity would come on at around 5pm, but it didnt. I had to bathe, because the weather was killing...

So then I pulled thru!! I bathed in the dark with only my torchlight, which ermm.. Cast eerie shadows on the walls & spooked me. Guess what gave me the courage eventually! My long forgotten mp3!! Havent listened to it since I lay foot in Vietnam. Music is always a remedy, isn't it? These I documented in my prized journal... Else I would've forgotten everything CLEAN. So electricity came on at about 8pm++, & a relief. Thankfully there wasn't Nat Geog channel on tv. Was brain dead by then from watching ANIMALS until past 3am the previous night! -.0!! No no, one shouldn't indulge in such 'ordinary' entertainment on a taxing (gruelling?) backpacking trip...