Da Nang - Marble Mountains 蜆港 五行山

-

I have to say that we visited the Marble Mountains quite unprepared. Yes, we read about it sometime before but the details did not stay on our mind. We missed the Am Phu Cave (Hell Cave) which may be the most beautiful cave in the area. The entrance is not direct at the ticket counter. Never mind, we had good hours at the Marble Mountains. One of the caves visited is stunning with heavenly light pierced through the gap on the top.


The Marble Mountains are a group of five limestone and marble hills. It started to be important since the time of Cham which regarded the mountains as holy. Throughout centuries, Hindu, Buddhist and Taoist built shrines in caves which made the place a perfect sanctuary.

In 1825 the Vietnamese King Minh Mang named the mountains “Ngu Hanh Son”. It translates as the Five Elements Mountains. Each mountain is named after one of the five essential elements in the Eastern Philosophical thought: Kim (metal), Tho (earth), Moc (wood), Hoa (fire), and Thuy (water). During the French colonial period, French geologists realised the mountains were comprised of marble and re-named them the “Marble Mountains.”

Tourists can only access to the Thuy Son, the biggest of the Marble Mountains. We arrived at the entrance before 10am and paid the entrance fee VND40,000 for each of us. The about 150 steps staircase seemed manageable.  You can consider the lift to go up with VND15,000. If you need a map for better orientation, go ahead to get it for VND15,000.


At the top of the staircase is a Ong Chon gate.  To the left of the gate is the Xa Loi Pagoda (no. 1 on the map), a beautiful stone tower that overlooks the coast. Nearby is the Linh Ong Pagoda (no. 2).



Descend down the main pathway will lead to Vong Hai Dai (no. 4) where one can have a view of panorama of Da Nang beach.


A path continues to the right leads to a mini-gorge. On the left is Van Thong Cave (no. 5). It takes efforts on a bit rock climbing to get inside. Take a look of a video here.


When we move forward to reach the Huyen Khong Cave, the highlight of the visit.  We were surprised to see its sheer size and the temple inside. Warriors greeted me when we walked down a steep staircase. A giant Buddha is sitting amiably high up, 5 metres above the cave floor.


Big holes at the ceiling of Huyen Khong let light flicker down into the cave and dance shadows on the dark walls. Between noon and 2 pm, the sun positions directly overhead. If you arrive at the right time you will see beams of light stretching from the heavens to the cave floor.


It was pleasant to stay a while at the Tam Thai Pagoda (no. 11) for its beautiful architecture and flowers around. Afterwards, we went to the highest point to have more panoramic views of the surroundings.



I was not joking.  To reach Dinh Thoung Thai (the highest peak no. 8), one has to climb steep staircases. Efforts returned with great views. Worth it!  We were totally wet and it carried on till we reached the foot of the mountain.




Location: 52 Huyền Trân Công Chúa, Hoà Hải, Ngũ Hành Sơn, Đà Nẵng 550000, Vietnam

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kbal Spean

-
Image
Kbal Spean is a unique archaeological site situated 50km from the Siem Reap.   Religious stone cravings sit on the river banks and bed, 150m stretch of the Stung Kbal Spean River.     Kbal Spean is commonly known as the "Valley of a 1000 Lingas " or "The River of a Thousand Lingas". Lingas are phallic representations sacred to Brahmanism.   It is a symbol of fertility.   Hundreds of them are carved into the rock of the river.   Other carvings include gods such as Vishnu , Shiva , Brahma and animals. To appreciate the beautiful carvings in the nature, one has to climb a trek for around 30 minutes.   Exhausted but worthwhile. Reclining Vishnu is often the theme of carvings.   Others include Shiva and Uma mounted on the bull, Brahma on a lotus petal and still others which I can't figure out exactly. Animals, lingas, yoni dot here and there.            Downdream ...
Read more

Hong Kong Heritage Museum - The Hakkas and Fishing Origin

-
Image
15 June 2012 HK Heritage Museum - Hakka Women It has been more than 10 years that I haven't been to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum .  Today, a Picasso exhibition brought me back.  Hmm, a Spanish artist associating with the Chinese heritage.  It's a special event of the French May .  It drew a lot of people to the museum, though a bit remote.  People, family speaking different languages crowded at the venue.  Picasso 's paintings shown were across his different periods.  Many photos of him and friends were also shown. Hong Kong Heritage Museum is unique in providing the history of Hong Kong, featuring Hakka (Guest family) migration, as a fishing village, the traditional Cantonese opera as the integral parts of Hong Kong's heritage, history and culture. During the reign of Yongzheng and Qianlong of Qing Dynasty (18th century), people were encouraged to utilise wasteland for farming.  A big demographic shift of residen...
Read more

Marshal Zen Garden Beitou 北投少帥禪園

-
Image
Marshal Zen Garden was built during the Japanese-colonised period of the 1920's.  It was renowned for the hot spring and was used as the entertainment hub of the Japanese pilots during the end of the World War II. In the 1960's, it was used to confine Marshal Chang Xue-liang and his wife Zhao Di. We checked in in our hotel Double Inn and was driven there.  The environment is very soothing with a lot of green, flowers and typical Japanese set up. We first enjoyed our afternoon tea after travelling straight from Alishan to Chiayi to Taipei. You can visit the Zen Garden if you hold a booking of  the tour, hot spring or restaurant. It was very nice to enjoy the afternoon in its tea house  小六茶舖. It's cosy and the food was superb, good value for the money. NTD900 for two. Marshal Chang and his wife were detained at the Zen Garden for decades.  Though it was years ago, the exhibition of his room, photos and his life made me feel...
Read more