My Son in it's hey day was only a place of worship and the Cham people live at least 30 km away so they reached this place by elephant. The ruins are made of a brick that scientists still do not know how it was made. These bricks actually resist moss and plant growth (only newer bricks that were used for reinforcement have moss). Sadly this was a site of US bombing during the war. They apparently suspected the Vietcong was hiding here. The bomb holes are front and center as you are exploring the ruins. I haven't been to angkor watt so I was fascinated by this place. The jungle settin just added to it's mystique.
Did i mention it was raining? A LOT. On the way to the ruins we walked over a bridge water was flowing under it as it tends to do. About 45 min into our two hour tour our guide gets a phone call and tells us we need to go now. For the record to British chicks and Korean gals this means "please take your time". We Hussled back to the bridge area which was now more of a class 4 rapid. In that short period of time so much rain had happened that the water was now thigh deep (on me and I am a giant in this country and the current was quite swift). So we joined hands and slowly crossed the river. And then turned around and watched as the four that decided to stay behind braved now waste deep water.
The rain never let up or even slowed down for the next 24 or so hours. My bus ride back was oddly eventful courtesy of two German guys and an Argentinian woman. I learned a couple of things. 1 I live in a bubble in the cultural wasteland that is Tampa. 2. "you are a fascist, go out with me" apparently usually works wonders with American women when said with a German accent. 3. Calcium crackers are the best when you are starving.
At the end of the bus ride which ended prematurely due to a tremendous amount of flooding, we ended up taking a picture together and Lin a Vietnamese girl from hue walked me towards my hotel before we hopped onto a scooter went the rest of the way through the knee deep water.
And the rain continued to dump down. As it turned out that the rest of the team was delayed in Saigon (monsoons apparently will do that) so I would be starting at the hospital by myself the next morning. Fantastic. Super tall white girl invades vietnamese urology department. I went to bed not really sure what to think about this, not that that headline was very different 4 years ago when I invaded usf's Uro department.
I woke up a couple of times during the night. First at about 11 because the rain was now doing it's best Niagra Falls impression. Then at 12 thinking why is there mist in my room. Must be the weird AC. @ 1 am why am I breathing in liquid and not dreaming about swimming or some other water sport?? And chunks of things are hitting me. Oh wait that is the ceiling. I grabbed my iPhone (my most prized possession both here and back in the states) and got to the door just as a Kelly sized bit of sheet rock fell on the bed. I went downstairs and found the designated " sleep by the door to let the tourons in when they come home at indecent hours" guy and woke him up and gave a nice explanation of my need for a new room, followed by a tremendous pantomime when he said "in morning" followed by grabbing his arm and pulling him up the stairs. In the time it had taken to do that more of the ceiling had fallen in strategically hitting the metal safety lock thingy to male my room unable to be opened without breaking down the door. I probably owe an apology to the entire hotel for the resulting noise. I got my almost 100% soaked stuff after we moved the slabs of ceiling off of it and was moved to the ant farm that was directly below my old room. Good times. Luckily I am now on room #3 no ants and only a minor ceiling crack that seems to be stable.
Pics: my son and my room
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