RIDE DAY: Hoi An to Da Nang, VT

2/12/09
Day: 51.25 km
Cume: 2069.8 km
Avg: 19.5 kph
Max: 34.5 kph
Time: 2h37m
Highs: Visiting the Marble Mountains was one of the best siteseeing stops I've experienced yet in this country, heard/watched a monk chanting and playing wood and metal gongs and bells in one of the temples in the Marble Mountain Park, GIANT stone buddhas hiding in dimly lit grand caves within the mountain, riding along the coast, finding a nice hotel with a huge view of the river from my balcony on the 4th floor
Lows: Da Nang traffic, spent a little too much money at the marble mountains on items that are now weighing down the pannies!

Really this was a lovely day. I decided to return to Da Nang to see the Cham Museum and to catch a bus about 300km South and up into the highlands as per suggestion of my French comrade I met in Hue. The Cham Museum was nice, a good stop. Da Nang is an interesting riverside town with nice views of the mountains. I was able to take care of some business and find a relatively cheap bus to Kom Tum, so it worked out.

I REALLY enjoyed the Marble Mountains. The caves filled with giant stone Buddhas! Great views of the coast, the village and DaNang in the distance. The temples and shrines just felt magical, being that they were filled with the carvings of the stone carvers who live at the base. The sound of electric saws carving marble fill the air. The artwork is pretty darn impressive and SO ABUNDANT!

****EDIT: ATTACH PHOTOS HERE****