My Son is not Called Ruins for Nothing

Ever since seeing the episode of Departures in Vietnam where they visited My Son Sanctuary (or My Son), I have wanted to go there and experience walking in the ruins myself. And so when I had the chance to travel to Vietnam, this was on top of my priorities.

My Son is a complex of Hindu temples built by the Champa Kingdom. It may be nothing compared to the Angkor in terms of size but it is much older. Construction of these temples began as early as the 4th century. Unfortunately, most of these temples are crumbling or have been destroyed during the Vietnam War.

Most people join group tours from Hoin An to visit Vietnam. I found the cheapest half-day tour costs 100,000 dong which includes a boat ride at the end of the trip. But I decided to go by myself even though it would cost more since I also wanted to see the sunset in the ruins.

My host in Hoi An was kind enough to arrange a transportation for me. My driver and his motorcycle was on the old side and as expected, the tire burst a few kilometers on the trip. We were lucky that a repair shop was just a few meters away and we were good to go after a few minutes.

The weird thing is that my driver does not know where exactly My Son is. It didn't help that signs to the site are very rare. So he kept on asking other locals if we were going the right direction. In other circumstances, I would have been pissed and frustrated but I felt no negativity at all. Maybe because I was taking this as part of my adventure or I just couldn't get angry at an old person who I am sure is not going to scam me.

Just as we arrived at about 4pm, a tour bus was leaving. I thought to myself that it would be great having only a number of people in the site. I paid the entrance fee which is 60,000 dong. And as I expected, the parking fee for foreigners is higher (5000 dong) than what a local will have to pay (3000 dong). I wonder if locals could enter the site free because my driver was able to roam My Son without paying anything.

I walked around the site for around an hour an half. I lingered on some sites taking in the details. I tried to act like an explorer hoping to find something that's been hidden to everyone but since the ruins is pretty small, I guess everything has been found already. And there are signs telling you not to go any further or higher.

As I have mentioned before, most of the temples of My Son are crumbling. As I walked around the site, I also found a few bomb craters. I wonder what the case would be if the Vietnam War did not happen, or at least if the Americans did not bomb this place. Wars claimed lives of innocent people and destroyed treasures centuries-old civilizations left us such as this.

Efforts however are being done to restore My Son. As I was walking around the site, I saw lots of temples being reconstructed. I just hope they do a good job at this and at least make them look like they are really ancient and not built just yesterday. (Like what they did to the Cham Towers.)

I read that many people who go to My Son are disappointed by the size of the site and that there aren't much to see except for a few crumbling towers. Well, My Son is not called ruins for nothing, right? I guess visiting My Son is more about appreciating its rich culture and history rather than a feast for the eyes.

One of the temples in the site that is undergoing reconstruction.

My Son is Vietnamese and means beautiful mountains.

Mt. Pulag: The Best Sunrise of My Life (So Far)

It was a few minutes past 4am when we started our ascent to the peak of Mt. Pulag. The 5km hike up would take about 1-2hours depending on our pace, according to our guide. We were one of the last groups to leave the camp and I was a little worried that sunrise might come before we reach the peak.

The night was very cold. Without gloves, my hands were getting numb. We walked fast so that our bodies would warm up. The good thing was that the terrain at the start of the climb is only gently sloping. We still had to stop a few times though, to wait for the other members and rest for a few minutes. At 2000+m, the elevation was no joke to us who are near-sea-level dwellers.

As we were walking (and still far from the peak), we could already see a glimmer of light on the horizon. We were able to walk at a steady (and relatively fast) pace on the gently sloping grounds. But the last few hundred meters to the peak was really steep. Everyone was panting and had to stop a few times to catch our breath. We kept on pushing ourselves because we didn't want to miss the sunrise.

They say that God rewards those who persevere to the end. Though out of breath, we had smile on our faces as we reach the peak of Mt. Pulag. We knew we were in for a treat. The sun didn't fully come out until after 30 minutes or so though. We watched the sky as it turns to light, slowly revealing a magnificent landscape. This in itself makes our trip already well worth it. But then the sun finally revealed itself amidst the sea of clouds. I am out of words.

It was still dark when we reached the peak.

Playing with silhouettes.

More than a hundred were blessed to witness the sunrise at Mt. Pulag.