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Heritage site of Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary was schoolchildren shouting “hello!” greeted
once the religious and political capital of me—a joyful return to the present.
the Champa kingdom between the 4th and On the way to Hoi An, I stopped at the
13th centuries AD. Here, near the source of Marble Mountains, a cluster of five lime-
the sacred Thu Bồn River, magnificent tem- stone peaks just outside of Da Nang. As
ples and shrines once stood. Much of the the name suggests, these peaks were once
site was tragically flattened during a 1969 the source of marble for the highly
bombing raid, but the ancient ruins are now sought-after statuary crafted by local ar-
being meticulously restored. tisans.
Arriving early to beat the crowds—and Thuy Son (Water Mountain) is the only
the heat—the place was eerily quiet, save peak open to the public. Equal parts pil-
for the hypnotic buzz of cicadas. Walking grimage site and tourist trap, it’s accessed
among the remnants of a civilization that via a steep 156-step staircase—or, for the
ruled this land for over 1,500 years, I was less ambitious (like me), a 15-story glass
reminded of the Buddhist tenet of imper- elevator. At the top, visitors find pagodas,
manence—the idea that change is the only temples, statuary gardens, and shrines
constant. It certainly puts daily worries into tucked into several grottos.
perspective. Maybe it was a Zen moment. Near the elevator exit, an ancient Viet-
Or maybe just heatstroke. Either way, time namese woman in a conical hat hawked in-
to hydrate. cense, while a man with a Bic lighter stood
As I exited the grounds, a chorus of by, offering to ignite it—for a fee. The cave
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