Frohes Neues zum Zweiten!

Welcome to the Year of the Dog. With the Têt festival on Friday, the lunar year began, which is dedicated to the dog this year. On this occasion, I visited my host family again and, in addition to a delicious dinner, we celebrated this special day with one or two alcoholic drinks, although I must admit that the neighbor's self-distilled hop schnapps had a little effect on me. All in all, it was very nice to see again all those people who warmly welcomed me at the beginning.

However, before that, I also spent a few wonderful days in Da Nang.

On Monday, I went to the approximately 1500-year-old temple complex My Son, which was the heart of the Cham culture for many years. Today, the complex is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and impresses locals and tourists alike.

From one World Heritage Site, I went to the next the following day. I crossed the Hai Van Pass, also known as the Cloud Pass, to the imperial city of Hue. Until 1945, the city in Central Vietnam was the capital and political center of Vietnam. North of the Perfume River lies the Citadel, which encloses the Forbidden Purple City, the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty. The visitors, who are also numerous at this location, enter the complex through the Noon Gate. However, in the past, this entrance was reserved for the emperor only. The Purple City itself invites you to take an extensive walk along beautiful temples and gardens. After visiting this, I definitely wanted to visit one of the seven royal tombs. I chose the resting place of Emperor Khai Dinh, who died in 1925. Richly decorated with ceramic and glass mosaics, the palace presented itself inside the cemetery located on a hillside, which combines oriental and western style elements.

But now enough with the guidebook texts and back to my personal impressions.

The 100-kilometer drive to Hue held a few surprises for me, as the roads towards the city are also used by the locals to transport goods from A to B. Basically, there is nothing that cannot be transported on a moped. It ranges from raw eggs to numerous live animal transports, such as chickens, geese, and pigs, to a large glass pane clamped between the driver and the passenger. And of course, there are also the passenger transports on two wheels. So far, the record, which I was able to record, is three adults and two children on a moving object.

On the way back, the weather improved, and I explored the Cloud Pass on a short hike, which not only forms the weather divide between North and South Vietnam but also houses ruins of French and American bunkers from the Vietnam War.

On Wednesday, together with an Australian hostel guest, I went back to the Son Tra Peninsula. In perfect weather, we enjoyed the ride along the coast and up to the peaks of the Monkey Mountains, although the mopeds had their difficulties with up to 20% incline. We even had the luck to catch a glimpse of two specimens of these special animals, which is by no means self-evident.

On Thursday, unfortunately, it was already time to say goodbye to my dear hosts Jenny and Toni, and I made my way to the airport.

Finally, I have a little anecdote. Early in the morning and later in the evening, I heard a melody in the style of an ice cream truck from a distance that seemed quite familiar to me. I heard this music every day in Da Nang and I noticed that it was Beethoven's "Für Elise". However, I didn't know what it was all about until the last evening when I met the creator. It was the garbage truck that used this song to let people know that they can drop off their garbage.

So, it can be rightfully said: Beethoven is for the trash can!