First we went to see the Long Son Pagoda, the Buddhist temple in the city of Nha Trang in South-Central Vietnam. But in order to get there we rented bicycles, this was our second experience of the day.
Experience seems too mild a word. We had been totally fooled by the sleeping street of our hotel, thought that cycling would be a nice and peaceful experience in this town. Yet as soon as we began our journey, we suddenly discovered ourselves in the very madness of Vietnamese traffic on a heavy highway, on rush hour. Anybody who has been to Vietnam, will know- it was the scariest "experience" in our lives. Traffic coming from all sides, some driving against us, some rushing in from the sides. No rules, at least none that we could figure out. Coming back in the dark with no lights and it goes without saying- without a helmet. Madness is the only word for it. Scared was the only word for us. How we managed to stay in one piece still amazes me. How on earth did we undertake that ride in the first place- we must be getting completely mad in this country ourselves. Yet now of course- ahh... quite an achievement, facing our fears once again. Feeling fear to the limit, yet doing it anyway- we have got some excellent practise for that on our trip.
Yet after being lost on the mental city roads, we finally reached the pagoda and breathed a sigh of relief. Alive! :) And the pagoda was wonderful, peaceful, quiet, not a tourist in sight. There were two huge statues of Buddha, one reclined and the other sitting, one of the largest in S-E Asia, we lit a few incence sticks and sucked in the atmosphere, so full of peace, especially for Vietnam. Yes of course there were again people around who wanted all our money, but we didn't let this disturb us this time.
Lii: Tana saime hakkama, eneselegi ullatuseks, suure julgustukiga. Osalesime Vietnami liikluses ise juhina, jalgratta juhina..
Kuna meie tanaval tundus liiklus vaga vaikne ja tanav oli suhteliselt tuhi, motlesime, et rendime jalgrattad. Motlesime, et linn ei ole siin vaga suur, paras ise lahedalasuvasse budismi templisse soita.
Moeldud tehtud!
Olime koigest viis minutit soitnud kui joudsime mingile ristteele, mis tundus suhteliselt 66vastav, aga motlesime, et soidame edasi, kull laheb paremaks. Naerukoht:) Jarjest hirmsamaks laks, sellised ristteed, ringteed kuhu soitis sisse 6 muud teed, liikluskeerises jalgrattad, motikad, autod- selline segapudru.
Ja mina, kes ma alles 6ppisin (tolge: nuud julgen) motika tagaistmel silmad lahti s6itma, roolis.
Tavaliselt, kui on motika tagaistmel soites liiga hirmsaks lainud, olen lihtsalt silmad kinni pannud.
Aga kohale me joudsime ja ka lopuks tagasi hotelli. Praegu imestame isegi, et kust selline julgus voi oigemini hulljulgus.
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| From Vietnam |
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| From Vietnam |
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| From Vietnam |
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| From Vietnam |
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| From Vietnam |
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| From Vietnam |
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| From Vietnam |
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| From Vietnam |
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Those statues are truly HUGE. (!!!)
ReplyDeleteRe: cycling, helmet is good and lights too, though I know you didn't have a choice, but not really to do with fears, just good. It's kind-of pointless me giving *you* advice, when you're the experienced one, but you should concentrate on the things you love, and things you fear are just like warning signs. If some strategy decreases worry and keeps you safe, then that is good. My little brother used to cycle around London without a helmet, but at some point he decided to stop and began using public transport. I always used to say if he wanted to be like a pro he should wear one, but he never paid any attention to me.
Apologies for the rant. Just my humble opinion. Other travellers, please don't follow the example, though it seems like your crazy cycle ride was just meant to be... and your photos paint a very beautiful picture of Vietnam, though I know the experience was not always so beautiful.
Blessings! and much metta to you always. okei.