Alone - amidst the Ruins of Myson

We decide, finally(after much persuasion from my side), to go to Myson from Hoi an. These are the so called famous ruins in Central Vietnam - 'the inferior sister to Angkor Vat, but majestic in their own right.'

Always the history buff, I wanted a looksie and Ro was dead set against the idea of wasting an entire day in some old dilapidated buildings.Now the bus ride there was lovely, amid a continuous line of uninterrupted green...of thick impenetrable jungle.I was in high spirits, albeit having to tolerate a glum and grumpy husband beside me. I am sure everyone has heard stories of the Nam war and how the Joes had to hack through walls of green...I was right there and loving it!!!!

However, Ro, till now, playing the grumps to the T, did an absolute about turn - he declared that this was lovely and exciting and wanted to spend the night here, leaving a very suspicious me, to ponder the minds of men...or the lack of it(and yes, I do believe all men are like that and they deserve this generalization here).

And, come again?...he wants to spend the night here..amid snakes and huge insects I do not even know the name of...please! And I should know....Being a big fan of National Geographic..I usually do know most of the general species on this earth..duh....BTW, you just need to have paid attention in Biology but that is an other story..unlike my better half who until a few days ago, did not know that whales were not fish but mammals...

Anyway, coming back to the story, it is an hour's easy trek (they have made roads up to the ruins - what a waste) and we stop for some chow in a small cafe at mid point. The owner, a handsome young Viet, told us cheerfully that we could stay the night if we want to, at a restaurant down below - they have basic rooms but to beware of snakes and wild animals, as

they sometimes do venture into the rooms.Thanks a lot mate, for putting ideas into both our minds - totally opposing thoughts, I might add. He also informed us that no one ever stays there as the main town is so close by, everyone just prefers to make it a day trip. after all, who wants to stay in absolute isolation in the middle of the jungle...Apparently we did!!! I could see by the way Ro's eyes lit up that I was going to have a sleepless night amid creatures of the wild!!

the ruins were absolutely stunning and SW woke up promptly right in time to explore the ruins with us. She slept peacefully on my back( we have a very convenient baby backpack which makes life oh so easy while traveling the way we do).

Happily 'stoned'...

Now for the most difficult part - to look for accommodation in this jungle. I know the guy told us about the restaurant which also gave out rooms but I was praying that they were closed or something would go wrong and we would have to go back... i will pretend to be upset and all, but I was dying to be back in civilization now...What had I gotten myself into?

Needless to say, my prayers were not answered and we got a passable room behind the huge restaurant complex - beside an abandoned marble and stone quarry. The whole place had an eerie calm to it. Add to this, the place was also a statue museum. Thousands of statues, some finished - huge and grand, others - half done and abandoned, as if in a hurry. The whole place was covered in moss and slippery as hell. The room smelled of mold and the sheets were damp. I quake to even think of putting SW to sleep on this bed. I check carefully for bed bugs and other creepy crawlies. Thankfully I have my own sheet for emergencies like this.

View from across the restaurant...

The only thing we had to do in a place like this was to get stoned as hell...no other way could I survive in this place and be sane. The place taught me a lot about myself. We all long and harp about seclusion and utter peace.I complain about the noise and pollution and the stupid people all around me...but when I actually have all the things here that I want, I am, for some reason, shit scared.

Needless to say, SW loved the countless things she could explore and was busy...the stones, bugs, grass, moss..everything had to be touched and the ants...omg...all the ants had to be touched and peered at. Well, it gave us some much needed time to get happily stoned and talk about the mundane but important stuff that couples need to talk about.It was a lovely day.

The excitement is not over yet.Come evening, and we decide that we should go out and eat at this tiny roadside cafe (Dhaba for us Indians ) we saw along the way. We walk slowly and happily stoned, to the front of the restaurant and discover that the owners have locked us in. They have forgotten about us and have boarded and locked all the entrances. If we want to get out, we have to climb the wall...which we did..

This was not what worried me, what got my goat was that there was not one soul around us for miles and we were in the middle of Nam's dense jungles. We were truly in isolation. Freaking out, freaking out, someone help me!!!Add to this, some 15 dogs who live in the compound, have gathered around us and are all sitting calmly in a circle around us, as if waiting for us to die or something. I am telling you, it is like a scene from a horror movie....any ideas required for one, come meet me.

No one around...

Ok...calm breadths, count to 10...everything is going to be fine. SW is loving it and so is Ro..he looks as if its is birthday. Hmm, he hates birthdays so let me rephrase.. he looks as if someone has gifted him an entire bottle of Old Monk...its just me freaking out.

We leave the spooky place and walk down in rain (yes, its raining on cue like some crappy hindi horror film), absolute darkness and silence towards the one sole light shinning in the distance. Ro, you should be happy I had the foresight to carry the torch...And you complain about my packing in useless stuff.

The light at the end of the tunnel - we have a cheerful family who greets us at the small cafe and they have ducks, hens and geese at the back like a mini zoo...as playthings for SW. Great, something for the kid and some hard liquor for me.

Needless to say, we had to go back the same way, over the wall, and thankfully, I was too wasted to care about the bugs in my room at the end of it all. Still, I had a restless night and was raring to go back the next day.

This is my story of me getting as close as possible to camping in the wild, amid bugs, animals and discomfort. It all seems very romantic to watch on National geographic, but I know my limitations...am I a snob, a city dweller, person who cannot rough it out? I dont think so - I have done some crazy treks before, but this seriously freaked me out. Also,now I know why the Americans lost.