March 12 Nha Trang - Happy Buddha

Something new for our trip...we slept in on this morning. While most of the group headed off for a lunch out and trip to the "mud baths" we opted to kick back a bit and then hired two "cyclo cabs" to take us for 2 hours around to some of the city sites.

A cyclo cab is essentially a rickshaw with a bicycle on the back to push it. Half the fun of riding in them is that they go pretty slow (or at least they did with us in them) and you are right in the middle of the rush of all the motorbikes plus an occasional car, truck or bus.

As passenger on this cyclo cab, you are right there out front as the other motorized traffic zips on all sides and often directly in front of you, often missing you just by inches.

Our first destination was the big white Buddha on the hill overlooking the city. We have pictures of Gary visiting this Buddha on his first "visit" to Vietnam.

Gary had just recently told about being shot at as he stood by this Buddha. He was curious to see if he could locate the bulletholes and resolve some of the issues that bring back this site in his nightmares.

Our cyclo cabs parked to wait in the shade as we walked up the multiple steps winding around this mountain, past a temple, a monastery and a reclining Buddha, they call "sleeping Buddha". The foliage and views were magnificent.

We were instantly joined at the base of the steps by several "school girls" from the monastery school next door. They gathered around Gary as I took their pictures. The Vietnamese are very impressed by stature and, to them, even hunched over his crutches, Gary casts a sizeable image. They playfully rubbed his belly and dubbed him "Happy Buddha".

Gary quizzed them on how many steps there were to go up...176 they replied and proceeded to count off with his each step as he achieved it.

"Don't worry Mam, we help you go up the stairs" was what they told me but also at the same time they were trying to sell us a pack of postcards to help them "work their way through school." Once we bought some and gave them each a dollar, they magically disappeared to wait at the bottom of the hill for another tourist.

Well a beautiful day, awesome setting and again very determined husband, we made it to the top of the mountain. It was however like one of those unsuspecting jokes when we reached the top and found a young man who had gotten there BY ROAD!

Once at the base of the Buddha, Gary made some discoveries about his experience there so many years ago that seemed to put the issue more at rest. The bullethole in the statue has been patched and it was more likely a random ricochet (bad spelling) rather than sniper fire.

Next stop on our cyclo cab tour was a stop at a magnificent Catholic church atop another mountain just across from the buddha. This church was built brick by brick by the French during their occupation of Vietnam. Gary waited in the shade with his driver while mine walked with me up the hill to see the church up close. The statuary was impressive and for the ashes of their deceased they have incorporated tiny vaults in the wall winding up the hill to the church.

All in all the cyclo cabs gave us an enjoyable ride and we got an additional insight of the beautiful beachfront city if NhaTrang.

All of Life is An Adventure,
You just have to be willing to rise to great heights to find it,
Linda

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