Perfume Pagoda, 11/16

On Wednesday of this week our Vietnamese Life and Culture class was different than usual. We traveled to Dr. Tran Huong's traditional medicine clinic.

Michael was her test patient. He said he had some back pain and had had a cough for about a week.

She started out by finding the source of his problems.

Then she used acupuncture and electric stimulation to raise his endorfin levels,

followed by cupping and massage to bring his endorfins to the surface. Michael seemed none the worse for wear at the end, But I keep forgetting to ask him if her treatment did him any permanent good.

In the last picture Dr. Huong is talking with Kate about her fear of needles, and explaining there are other ways to apply traditional treatments. It was a most interesting presentation.

On Saturday morning we drove to My Duc where we boarded steel boats for the row to the base of Huong Tich Mountain (Mountain of the Fragrant Traces). In this picture, Michael looks like he is doing just fine.

Soon after we started out we passed a supply boat with a monk on his cell phone. From this picture you can start to get an idea of how high the water was. The picture to the right shows it even more directly. It shows the top of a burial monument just sticking out of the water.

The river on the way in is beautiful, even if it is high.


Pulling in to the drop off point again shows the height of the water. The structures to the left are usually food vendors.

Our boats took us over the normal quay, past the booth that normally checks tickets,



and dropped us literally at the base of the steps leading up the mountain.

What they call the Perfume Pagoda is at the top of the mountain. During the second and third lunar months of the year (roughly March and April), many Vietnamese make a pilgrimage here. Up to 80% of the Vietnamese population claims to be Buddhist, but only a small portion of those are what we would term practicing Buddhists. The rest believe in a combination of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist philosophies and beliefs that govern their behavior and relationships. One of those beliefs is that if they travel to the Perfume Pagoda, pray, and make offerings during the pilgrimage season it will bring them good luck for the rest of the year.

There are two ways to get to the pagoda. One is via a 4 km path that winds up the mountain, the other is by gondola, which we opted for, mainly to save us some time.

The ride up is spectacular in its own right. You get a much better view than you would on the trail. There are numerous shrines and pagodas on the mountain. The picture to the left shows one that is viewed from the arial tramway.

For those of you who are skiers, this is a Doplymeyer lift, and the top looks familiar, except where is the snow?

Once you get to the top it is a short hike to the grotto that houses the pagoda. Here Ngoc and Julia pause by the railing.

There is a steep set of steps down into the grotto. I didn't notice it when I took the picture, but the sign on the left side of this picture says "No Short Clothes Please" in Vietnamese and English. There was no need for the clothes police, as everyone was dressed appropriately.

The steps end in the grotto, and you enter the actual pagoda behind the big formation in the center that the flags point to.

Just to the left of the entrance is a large bell that is used for calls to worship.

Inside there are three separate alters, and plenty of space to sit down and contemplate the significance of this shrine.

Back outside our students and the language partners posed for a group shot.

Before long it was time to head back down on the gondola and make our way to the flooded quay. Getting on the boats looked like a traffic jam in Hanoi! That is Sarah's mother Jen in the boat next to her.

The ride back was no less spectacular than coming in.

Just before we got back, a young embassador waived goodbye to us. Actually he was waving "hello," but it makes a good last picture.