I found in the guide book that one of the pagodas here is maintained by the monks of Ticht Nanh Hanh, a Buddhist monk and zen master, who has written many good books and who I retreated with this summer. Gotta go even though it is located 5 km out of town in a pine forest and the monks chant at 10 am each morning. The front desk gave directions and, of course, ten minutes later we are looking at the map confused and lost. This nice lady on a scooter stopped to help and said she was going very near the pagoda, we both agree to follow.
We got to the pagoda just as the monks were singing their morning prayers. It was beautiful there, so serene, a campus set far from the road with reflection ponds and trails set for meditation. What a great way to start the day.
Back at our bikes, Roi, the nice lady from earlier, was still there and invited us to her house for tea and english conversation. It was only another 6 km. So off we went . . .
How humbled we were to be invited into Roi’s home. It consisted of one large room with the double bed and table and chairs in the front room and what must be the kids room behind a curtain with the small kitchen at the far end. Their whole house was about the size of our kitchen on Cathay. She and her husband are farmers who plant rice, corn and peanuts and they have two kids in high school. (they bicycle 30 minutes into Hue to attend) We chatted about the universal things kids, holidays, weather over green tea.
We were home as it began to rain, the staff here taking turns riding the bikes up and down our alley. We repacked the bikes into the suitcases . . . . The staff looking over our shoulders saying they could not believe the bikes fit in such a small space.
All in all a lovely day in the real Vietnam.