D98 -- My Son, My Toe

Why oh why did we sign up for a 5 am tour?! And why did we stay up till midnight last night? We set off on a bus with 9 other people to see the Cham ruins in My Son, an hour outside of Hoi An. The good thing about going so early was that we got to see a beautiful sunrise over the misty rice paddies and we were back in Hoi An before the worst of the heat hit. Plus we avoided the crowds. But 5 AM?!!?

A free breakfast came with the tour so we all unloaded at a roadside restaurant before heading to the ruins. We both ordered French bread and I was enjoying mine just fine until I saw a skinny black bug winding its way through the pores in my bread. Mmmm.... protein!

My Son (pronounced Me Son) dates back to the 3rd century, although the current ruins began in the 7th. It was a Hindu complex built by the Cham people, who also built the famous Ankor Wat. As the Cham empire declined and Buddhism spread throughout Vietnam, My Son was left to decay in the jungle. I suppose this is why the VC felt no qualms about using it as a base during the war. US bombing left it little more than a pile of rubble, and one of the bomb craters could still be seen. I don't think I'd ever seen a bomb crater before. You really can't escape the memory of the war here.

The dense jungle setting for the buildings was very cool, and several of them have been carefully reconstructed. All in all, though, they were in pretty poor condition and it was so hot and humid that the experience was not what we were hoping for. It was platypus watching all over again :)

We got back to the hotel around 10:15 and decided we needed some R&R by the pool. It was fabulous! After a few hours it was time to pick up all our clothing. We had to run back and forth between four shops (Yaly, Silk Road, and the two at the fabric market) so Thomas decided to rent a motorbike. I was wary, given that he hasn't driven one in the 7 years I have know him AND he is a crazy driver. But he was practically begging so I relented. I did make him do a lap around the block before I got on just to see if he could really drive the thing. So we handed over $4 and were off (no deposit, no driver's license or insurance needed). Thomas just loved driving the motorbike, weaving in and out of the pedestrian, cyclo, and bike traffic. I hope he doesn't get any ideas about buying one of these back home.

We were really happy with all of our purchases. The dress from Yaly fit like a glove – a wonderful thing given my crazy waist-to-hip ratio. One of my favorites was this dress from the market. When I went to pick it up I saw a rat crawl underneath the little stall where I'd picked the fabric. Right behind where this lady is standing. Oh well. What do you want for a $13 custom-made dress?

I'd scheduled a massage tonight and arrived about five minutes late since we were out running errands. It ended up being more of a beating than a massage. This woman was just digging her fingers and nails into my head and shoulders. I asked her to be more gentle and that worked for about 2 minutes. I didn't say anything else at first because I figured, well, this is my punishment for being late. And then it had gone on for 15 minutes and I thought, only 10 more to go, I can take it. You know that karate-chop type thing that massage therapists sometimes do with the side of their hands? Well, she did it. My God, I thought she was going to give me a concussion! I was so glad when it was over. Looking back I can't believe I didn't just walk out. Perhaps the next time I want a treat I will pay for assertiveness training instead of a massage.

-Elva

P.S. Guess what this is?!?! You faithful readers will remember that one of my toenails separated from my toe on the 33-mile Milford Track. Well, after a month and a half it has finally fallen off. Couldn't pass up the opportunity to share!