Purfume Pagodas

 

 

Guest Post: Dave's long awaited and greatly anticipated blogging debut!

 

 

Chua Huong, Vietnam – Day 17 (3/1/12)

We set out this morning with the rising sun for the beautiful Perfume Pagodas located about two hours south of Hanoi. We were picked up at our hostel by Huong, our very friendly and knowledgeable personal guide for the day. As the driver wove his way through the streets of Hanoi, Huong told us about his life. His older sister was born during the Vietnam war in between their father’s first and second tours of duty and he is now raising his own family, two daughters, with his wife in the same village that goes back many many generations.

We arrived at a small village on the river and quickly boarded a small fishing boat, solely rowed by a young Vietnamese woman who powered through the one hour journey upstream to a sacred group of temples collectively known as the perfume pagodas. 

 

Huong is a devote follower and was able to provide us an insightful look into Buddhism. We have been to numerous pagodas and temples throughout our trip in Asia without really knowing how and what the people worshipped or what the buildings represented so it was enlightening to learn the history and meanings behind Buddhist culture. It is definitely a lot more than just gorgeous buildings and a jolly old fat bald man!

 

  

After visiting the main pagoda and temple where monks come to study, we made the 1.5 km hike up an ancient staircase carved into the mountain to the fairy caves. The original building at the top lost its roof from an American bomb, but the rest of the structure was still standing. He told us of the intricate tunnel systems that the Vietnamese soldiers dug during war times and of the levels of underground structures that were built for entire communities to escape the war. The tunnels were built so tiny that it was physically impossible for a man of ` American stature` to get through them. We entered into a spacious cave which had once served as a hospital during the war and is now a sacred place of worship. Only once a year a monks servant comes to clean the many statues of Buddha, and we happened to be the only other people there at the time.  The villagers believe that the Buddha’s heart is in this cave and rub a large smooth quartz rock in the side wall of the cave to touch his heart. 

 

On the journey back to the first village we were invited to hitch a ride on a motorized longboat with some elderly Vietnamese men. This had Huong smiling from ear to ear and giddy as a school girl because he had told us earlier on the paddle out that only monks and important people take the motor boats ... so I guess a couple of Canadian kids made the short list as well! He has been coming here his whole life and has only ever rowed in and out. I think Buddha was smiling on us. 

Peace,
Dave