1/14–Vung Tau–Whale Temple and Lighthouse

Next we are on to the Whale Temple, where the skeleton of whales are placed in shrines and worshipped for their strength.  The whale is a sacred symbol here in the city, the remains of this one washed up on the shores in the early 1800’s.  It is said to bring luck and prosperity to the region, thus, the temple in its honor.

There are some wonderful old photos on the wall, with pictures of ceremonies dating far back in the history of the temple….

..and of course the lion-like statues outside guarding the temples.

Next up is the lighthouse, where San has told us (as has the itinerary) that he will negotiate for motorbike rides up to the top for us. Ummm…well…when in Vietnam!  We begin our ascent up a teeny, narrow mountain road – and you can see why vans aren’t allowed and motorbikes are used.  We keep driving higher and higher, and there are a couple of restaurant areas where there are hundreds of motorbikes parked, but the van keeps going…all the way to the top!  Way to go San!  We don’t need the bikes – he is so proud of himself too – he said he and his boss managed to arrange it so we could drive up and very few vans are allowed.  He gets a high five for that one!

Up top, we take in the view – which is nice.  We can see the Jesus statue from here too – off in the distance.

Then we take the obligatory group photo….

…And head off on our way back to the port.  We only have one unscheduled stop to make – Charles – one of our fellow travelers – wants to have a Banh Mi before going back.  It’s the iconic Vietnamese sandwich and he has to try one before we leave. So San and Zwee go on a a Banh Mi hunt, finally asking a street vendor and ending up at this awesome little storefront in the middle of town.  Ed and I decide to join Charles in his “dessert” and get one too – how could we resist? 

Awesome!  I’ll never eat dinner, but it is so worth it!  And they cost less than 75 cents each. You can’t beat it – cheap eats.

A delightful end to a very delightful day on tour.

Back onboard, we hang out on our balcony watches 3 boys beg for food and money off the side of the ship. Somebody actually threw them something in a Styrofoam container – God knows what – but the boys dig into, and then troll some more without luck before heading down to the Celebrity Millennium to try their luck there. 

We sail a little bit later, bidding farewell to Vietnam…for a few weeks, until we return on our own to Hanoi.