It’s been a pleasant stay in Hoi An. The Ancient Town is interesting and we’ve had some leisure time to relax. But it’s Sunday and time to move on. We have a good breakfast, check out of the hotel and load our luggage into the van.
We are off to visit the Marble Mountains, about 30 minutes away. They are a cluster of five hills made of limestone and marble. The visit starts with a promising elevator ride to an entrance path to the caves. Perhaps this will be an easy visit. But then we climb up and down the uneven steps to reach grottos containing Buddhist statues. Fascinating. There are some grottos with bullet holes from The American-Vietnamese War. Overall the Marble Mountains are impressive but a bit tiring walk.
Our next stop is Bana Hills. The Bana Hills, with an elevation of 4,800 feet were used by the French as a holiday location starting in 1919. We have been interested in Bana Hills because of the Golden Bridge, which looks like a bridge held within giant hands. We didn’t realize that today Bana Hills is Vegas faux meets Disney, all produced by Sun World.
Our next stop is Bana Hills. The Bana Hills, with an elevation of 4,800 feet were used by the French as a holiday location starting in 1919. We have been interested in Bana Hills because of the Golden Bridge, which looks like a bridge held within giant hands. We didn’t realize that today Bana Hills is Vegas faux meets Disney, all produced by Sun World.
It’s lightly drizzling at the base when we board the modern cable car for the 40 minute ride up the hill. As we ascend the fog and rain increase. By the time we reach the end of the run it is very foggy and rainy. We laugh as we walk out on the Golden Bridge - it’s hard to make out the hands through the rain and fog, though we do attempt a group pic. We take the next cable car further up to the French Village where we decide to stop for lunch. During our lunch Cha Cha sends photos from his phone of Bana Hills and the Golden Bridge on a clear day. What a difference!
Following lunch the group agrees to throw in the towel - today is not a good day for Bana Hills. The rain dissipates by the time we reach the base. We pile into the van and Cha Cha proposes to take us to the Dragon Bridge and Lover’s Bridge in Da Nang on our way to the airport, just a 15-20 minute stop. Sounds okay to us, they are fine for a short stop in the sun.
Following lunch the group agrees to throw in the towel - today is not a good day for Bana Hills. The rain dissipates by the time we reach the base. We pile into the van and Cha Cha proposes to take us to the Dragon Bridge and Lover’s Bridge in Da Nang on our way to the airport, just a 15-20 minute stop. Sounds okay to us, they are fine for a short stop in the sun.
Cha Cha ensures that we are all checked into our Cambodia Air flight before we part at the Da Nang airport. Once again the Priority Pass comes in handy and the six of us spend our extra time before the flight in a comfortable lounge. Our 6:30 pm flight to Siem Reap is uneventful and our new guide, Gho Vanda is waiting for us upon arrival. Perfect! We’re driven to the Saem Siem Reap hotel. It’s an older property, well maintained and charming.
RSS Feed