DAY 05 - With weather like this, our beach-front bungalow does not exactly feel like an upgrade
We head to the countryside of the Cham people
We arrive at the My Son ruins
Pools like these have been left by B52 bomb blasts (dating back to the Vietnam War). This particular crater reflects one of the surviving temple structures at My Son
Though the ruins are stone, these temples were originally constructed out of wood (a fire in the late 16th century forced the Cham people to rebuild using some kind of brick)
I bounce the flash inside one of the ruined temples
Valerie waits for me outside with both of our umbrellas
Interesting pillars
At a stage near the My Son ruins, we escape the rain while being introduced to a bit of Cham culture
I am not sure how to describe their music
The lead plays the xaranai (saranai?), a wind instrument like an oboe
After the msuic we are treated to a dance routine
Strike a pose
Walk like a Hindu?
After the performance, we head back to the ruins. This structure houses artifacts, but the bulk of the statues have long since been moved to Da Nang
Cham writing reminds me of script from The Lord of the Rings
Statues and other decorative flourishes carved in stone
From within a doorway
Our tour guide suggests I pose like this...now I really feel like a tourist
Information about the on going restoration of these ruins
Valerie stands in the rain near an ancient device that does something with water
More ruins are visible through the trees
A quick look back to where we just were
After My Son, we travel to Old Hoi An, once one of the major trading centers of Southeast Asia. First we learn about silk production
