Day 66
Our last day in Nha Trang. I will miss this jewel of a place. We got up early this morning to visit the Buddhist Pagoda with the largest seated Buddha in Asia (I think?). When the bus pulled up there was a lot of activity. Motorcycles and scooters were zooming around, dropping off or picking up children and worshipers.
There were so many children there. It was either a visiting day (very unlikely) or there is a school connected to the pagoda (probable). So, as the kids were screaming, singing, running around, playing games, selling things and likely pick-pocketing, we talked about the architectural influences of the building. Basically anything along the typhoon trade route has some influence here. No duh.
We made our way up the steps to the entrance of the pagoda. There was a worship session going on inside with all female monks. They
were chanting, knealing down, bowing. I took pictures of the shrine at the back of the temple and some chart that showed all the different buddhas over time. The decorations of the building itself was magnificient. They had used bright paints and detailed pictures of dragons, flowers and other religious, oriental type pictures. The columns and entrances had characters painted on them, seeming to protect anyone walking by or through them.
Eventually, we started to make our way up the hundreds of steps to where the giant Buddha sat. There were places along the way marked with insights or advice from past buddhas or wise men. There were also a few beggars sitting on the stairs in such a way that you basically couldn't pass without giving them something. We stopped about halfway up, where
there was a giant bell. I assume they were ringing it to signal the end of the worship that morning. The sound was so loud, but that didn't stop a few people from sitting inside the bell as it rang. Apparantly, when you sit inside, you can hear the sound spinning around the bell. I am too afraid of loosing my hearing to try it though.
From the top of the hill you could see everything. And the Buddha was seated peacefully at the top. Children were running around everywhere, chasing us, trying to get into pictures. I sat on the steps with my sign and immediately four of them surrounded me. After taking the picture, one of them snatched my sign. It was no big deal to me—I just needed the picture. But as I walked away to explore, I could hear the kids fighting over it.
I wandered into the shrine that was built into the base of the Buddha. It looked basically the same as most other shrines, but there were warrior decorations guarding the door and on the inside walls. I also wandered around among the memorials to worshipers or others who could afford one.
All too soon, it was time to head down, back to the bus, to go off to the airport. Ciao Nha Trang!
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