Today we walked to the Høn Bá island where there is a Buddhist temple which is only accessible during low tide.
The views here are interesting and the breeze is so welcome!
The path was very rocky and unstable as the stones with barnacles shift with the tide. Here I am high-stepping back to the mainland.
It is so hot. I am constantly sticky and feel like a walking post-it note. I stick to anything, and anything sticks to me.
We packed a lunch and we stopped at Circle K to buy a cold drink. (Circle K is everywhere!!) I lingered a very long time with my body as close to the open refrigerator door as possible. I thought about asking if they would let me restock the cooler as I have experience from my C-store days.
Rob told me to hurry up and choose a soda. I put my 7-UP on my carotid artery in my neck. I have always been told if someone is having a heat stroke that ice packs in strategic places are needed. This seemed to be the best choice for someone in public. I told Rob to be prepared to ice down my armpits and groin, if I pass out!!
Circle K was air conditioned and had lots of seating. We sat in the back near the air conditioner vent. It wasn’t on so I asked the worker if she could turn it on.
After an hour of reacclimation, we are ready to visit the statue of Jesus that overlooks the city. Our host called it Little Rio as it is very similar but smaller by 20 feet.
We hike up the mountain and I was bitten by mosquitos even through my long pants and long sleeves. Shorts-wearing Rob did not get a single bite. He forgot to bring our bug repellent.
Another hiker offered some hand sanitizer. Does that repel mosquitoes? She read the label and apparently Green Cross hand sanitizer makes this claim.
Her boyfriend works for Nike. Not only do Americans mispronounce Nike as it rhymes with hike but also Adidas. It sounds more like la-dee-dahs.
Once we reached the base of Jesus, there were many rules for entry.
With the proper following of the rules, we went around a marble winding staircase.
We were able to get inside the head of Jesus. He overlooks the Buddhist temple. You can see that the tide has come in and covered the path.
There is a big Catholic population in Vietnam, and this statue was erected by them. Rob felt that if there was a statue of Jesus on a hill, we would have a pretty good chance of finding a church to attend on Sunday.
In the evening we downloaded and watched a good movie starring Michael Caine called The Quiet American. It is set in Saigon and is about Vietnam between the French colonial period and the Vietnam War. It was filmed in Saigon and Hoi An so we doubly enjoyed watching it.
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