Mỹ Sơn ( Central Vietnam Day 4 )

April 17, 2013 Day 4

I booked my trip to My Son with the owner of Cafe 43. He was to also take me to the train station in the afternoon 700.000 VND.  Originally the ride was offered for 240.000 VND and the drive to My Son for 500.000 VND. My bargaining prowess (?) saved me 40.000 VND lol. 

It took an hour to get to the ruins from Hoi An but I didn't mind the long drive. I was actually expecting an uncomfortably motorbike ride but it turned out our ride was a Chevy! He was also thoughtful enough to bring along CDs with English songs in it. I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd rather listen to authentic Vietnamese songs, especially since they were mostly old songs I can't relate. Well, maybe except one: Killing Me Softly haha.

 The road  was very scenic and at one point, we even came upon a group of students biking to school in their uniforms. It was a scene straight out of a Japanese/Korean drama. Looking back, I wish I had asked him to stop so I could take a photo. 

We made it in an hour and I paid the entrance fee of 100.000 VND. Cars are not allowed near the ruins so I walked in by myself. Since I had a time to beat ( I had to be at the train station by 3pm) I gave myself an hour to see the ruins.

It would have been better If I had an idea what I was looking at but My Son wasn't part of the itinerary hence I had not done any advance reading. Still, I'm happy I was able to squeeze it in my day.

we stopped to get a photo of this temple along the road.

This time I didn't have any problem finding my train. However, since I bought souvenirs /trinkets on my way to the station, I didn't realize I didn't have enough Dong left on me. Oh no! I only have enough to buy a bottle  of water. It was too late to try and  look for an ATM Machine. I had 100USD on me but of course there was no currency exchange shop around. I just prayed I wouldn't feel that hungry during the loooooong train ride. Anyway, I'm still full from that meal in Cafe 43. 

Summary of Expenses:    Entrance Fee                                                      100.000 VND 

                                      White Rose and Steamed Chicken (Cafe 43)       91.000 

                                      soda   (in My Son)                                              15.000 

                                      Car ride less disc of 40k                                      460.000

Up Next: Back to Hanoi http://ilovecoffee-oldworld.blogspot.com/2013/06/back-to-hanoi-day-5.html