My Son

Day 20 – My Son, Vietnam

Following the appeal of a boat journey, I booked a tour to see My Son, the ruins of the Cham Empire capital, the rivals of the Khmers and their capital, Angkor.

It was the kind of tour where you follow your guide from one explanation to another, which wasn’t really what I wanted, so I kind of drifted away to the pictures while everybody else was listening. And also, I had read about what I was visiting before our arrival.

I wasn’t impressed after visiting Angkor, which is way bigger and better restored. But well, the boat journey back on the river with lunch onboard was beckoning.

The boat was… small and cramped. Lunch, a pitiful lump of rice with pickled vegetables, was already served on the tables, which is everything everybody tell you to avoid in Asia, and indeed, not everybody ate. We had to cram 6 to a bench, and when we discovered access to the roof and its benches, it was to be told to get back down because the boat wasn’t rated for people on top and risked capsizing. Nice. So back to the crowded benches…

I got two good things out of this tour: I bought a conical hat, which is truly a comfort against the sun, and I talked with another woman travelling alone. She made me realise that the lanterns I liked so much would be lit at night (kind of obvious, really, if you think about it!).

When we were dropped off by the boat (notice how they pick you up at your hotel but drop you off where they please), at the other side of the ancient city of Hoi An, I used my final tickets to visit Chinese communal houses. They are really appealing, with shaded and leafy courtyards, open rooms where to meet and live. The pictures are added to the gallery about Hoi An and its ancient city.

And the next day I went to see the lanterns…