The Cham ruins in the outskirt of Quy Nhon were much more spectacular, particularly because they were set in the rather prettier countryside that the drab concrete town. It was a lovely time of year to visit as the padi fields were in the middle of the growing season, with pretty patchwork fields of alternating green and yellow.
The towers were situated on a hilly outcrop overlooking the fields and a still stream that watered the area.
The good thing about being in an untouristy area was that there weren’t any marked out areas at which to pay entrance fees; the bad thing about being in this untouristy area was that I really hadn’t a clue what I was looking at, just that they were ancient and it was remarkable that they’d been standing for so long.
Still, it was a lovely walk up the hill where there really wasn’t anyone about and I could admire the large expanse of the country below.
I liked the unique barrel-like roof put on a few of these towers and wondered the significance of these barrel-topped ones over the others.
Some of them were already being restored, the sharp lines being made more pronounced with new brick.
The great thing about this place was that I had free rein to walk around and it didn’t appear that the roof was going to tumble down on top of me at any moment.
I took my time, enjoying the views inside and out.
It was nice seeing how the place wasn’t totally restored yet there was still plenty of detail in the unrestored bits. I liked the humour of how the leering toothy face popped out of nowhere in the relief.
There were also other reliefs that looked like table runners or part of a bookmark design. It’s funny how similar designs emerge time and again in different cultures.
As I was all alone, it took a bit of fiddling with the auto-timer on the camera to get a picture of sorts with the ruins.
Well, not completely alone as I had the company of this little lizard with the rosy body.
eat. drink. cook. travel. 