October 27 - the Perfume Pagoda

Today we took a ten-hour journey to the Perfume Pagoda.   It entailed a two hour bus ride, a one-hour boat ride in aluminum skiffs up a tributary of the Day River, and a tram ride up the mountain-side and then the reverse of all that. We took the bus to a small town called Duc Khe, where female paddlers ferry tourists from the Ben Duc Wharf up the Swallow Tail (yen) Stream - a tributary of the Day River.  We asked our guide why the paddlers were all women, and he responded, "the men are all home drinking!"  In this small boat were the four of us, two Chinese guys, our guide, and the paddler - gliding across the water.  The scenery was like out of a National Geographic issue -  a craggy karst landscape of lush greenery, brightly colored flowers and water lilies, small villages, and ancient-looking fisherman in traditional boats and wearing traditional garb.  We arrived at the 'warf' below the Thien Tru Pagoda, where we walked about half a mile to catch the tram. Along the way were tables of vendors selling food, clothing, offerings for the temples, and trinkets.  The tram took us high above the rain forest canopy, where down below we saw mostly lush jungle, some pagodas, the walking path, and a couple of towns. We departed the tram and went to the Huong Tich Pagoda.  It is a Pagoda nestled into a craggy, rock grotto.  There are stone steps and paths that lead you into the cave to the main sanctuary as well as some smaller ones.  Truly spectacular. We spent some time there, before heading back to the tram. While there, Chris touched the gold and silver sacred stalagmites, so if the stock market rebounds well, you have him to thank. We also got to ring the bell at the entrance, to get Buddha's attention, so he'll listen to our prayers. We had lunch at one of the cafe's along the path, and then visited the Thien Tru Pagoda, which was also beautiful. Apparently, this is one of the most holy areas in Vietnam. There are over 50 pagodas in the area, and just before the new year, tens of thousands of Vietnamese make pilgrimages here. Then, back to the water, onto the boat, and then the bus.  Hudson did great the entire day, and Lila only broke down on the boat ride back.   As we write this entry, Hudson is watching old episodes of Pink Panther, and Lila is naplessly wired to the hilt.