Vietnam North to South – Day 11: A Day Trip from Nha Trang
Today was a free day dedicated to resting by the beach. My dad and I aren’t made for rest, though, and so we planned an excursion to a few interesting places south of the city. Taking along two other travellers from our group, we hired a cab for the day and headed to Từ Vân Pagoda in Cam Ranh. Built in 1968, the pagoda is a supremely kitschy complex, starring giant dragons of all colours, statues of Buddhist holy figures, and a whole temple built from corals and seashells. Most interesting, perhaps, is its “Road to Hell,” a long and narrow tunnel built of corals and winding its way past various allegorical depictions of Buddhist moral philosophy. The tunnels are hot, stuffy, and dark, so it is quite difficult to walk their whole length without sustaining an injury of some kind. From the entrance to the exit through the mouth of a huge dragon-like beast, the walk and crawl took us over half an hour.