Vietnam, Part 3: Perfume Pagoda

The fifth day of our vacation was a day trip to the Perfume Pagoda. This is another one of those adventures that you really need a tour for... twisty turny bumpy roads all the way. After an hour or so, our van ended up at a dock 70 km south east of Hanoi. We were herded off the van and into small boats. Each boat sat six people and a rower. The next hour was spent gliding slowly down the river. The riverbanks were fascinating, every now and then we saw a tiny house or a temple. It seemed like the middle of nowhere to me-- but there were certainly people who called it home. The further down the river we went the taller the mountains grew. Unfortunately, the day was quite hazy so it was impossible for us to fully see the mountains. This did make for a slightly mysterious landscape. Once we reached the second dock we had a quick lunch before hiking up the mountain. The hike was less beautiful than it could have been-- the path was lined with stalls for selling souvenirs and snacks. The majority of them were empty but they were still there blocking our view.





After a sweaty 40 minute hike we reached our destination, a set of stairs dropping down into a majestic cave. The cave that the Perfume Pagoda was located in was so much more alive than the one we saw in Halong Bay. Water was dripping, wind was moving through the trees, the scent of perfume was in the air. The place was almost deserted as well-- only our tour group, a few others, and two monks. One of these monks was chanting beautifully and hitting a bell. It was one of the most peaceful places I've ever visited and was well worth the exhausting trip.






As a sidenote, we also visited the gorgeous Thien Tru Pagoda at the base of the mountain.