Our first stop, from Hue, was actually the town of Da Nang, for two museum visits. The first was to the Cham Museum, which has a vast collection of material from the Champa Civilization. I knew nothing about this civilization or the history, mostly because American studies don't cover Asia well, or any of the traditionally Asian religions. So while I felt very lost in the museum, I also learned a great deal, but probably missed much of the deeper teachings here, as my background was so insufficient. Nevertheless, I learned enough to cause me to ask the hard questions a few days later at My Son.
Above, the Cham Museum. Below, the Da Nang Museum. Sorry, I've no photos from this, and didn't even make it through all of the museum.
Between our two visits to the Cham Museum, we visited the Da Nang Museum. This is the city's museum, and is not generally on the tourist track. In fact, our guide had never been there before, even though she is Vietnamese. And here is where it happened. Part of the point of the course, as I think I mentioned earlier, is to force us to confront, to challenge our beliefs, our preconceptions, our prejudices. I'd already had a taste of this in an unexpected place, early on: the Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi, which was opening an exhibition on Catholicism in Viet Nam. Here, I was confronted with the stark realities of the war. Da Nang was both heavily bombed and napalmed. Much of the "leftover" napalm was released here before the troops left. My textbooks and U.S. history courses in school never got as far as the Vietnam War. I knew some based on my own readings and things I'd explored on my own. But to see the materiel that was left behind, the photos of the townspeople who were in harm's way, the infants; to read the survivor accounts; to see the countryside. I've not been in such conflict areas before; I've largely been sheltered from all of it. You can read about it, and I do, but it's not the same. What made it worse was how friendly everyone was, how excited they were to have me there, to learn because I work for a great institution that is admired. As you can imagine, I had a meltdown. Blessings to my professor who helped me work through it all.
My lovely room at our hotel. Not only would we not have to repack for four days, but I also had a balcony! This was such a nice end.
We visited a number of museums this day in Hoi An, looking at how the town was working to balance tourism and history, preservation and culture. The buildings are historic, and are mostly wood. Reviving them is helping to keep the traditional woodcraft and ceramic villages working, as well as educate people about the town's rich heritage. Most of the materials in the museums are from the town and villages. It was a remarkable afternoon.
Temple bells at the Hoi An History Museum.
Outside the Japanese covered bridge. Notice all the ceramics in the roofline. I think he's making a giant lantern. I posted a photo earlier of a lantern making shop. Below, the bridge from the street entrance. I also posted earlier a shot of it from the side. This bridge connected the Chinese and Japanese streets in the city, and told the story of how the Japanese aimed to keep control over the port and city.
Above, a street sign in Hoi An. Below, roof gables, corners, and dragon details. Everyone knows how I like to take photos of doors, signs, and roofs!
The street, as seen from the upstairs of the Museum. Woodwork examples from the Folklore Museum. Below that, incense coils from the Fukien Chinese Assembly Hall; these are prayers.
The end of the day was split between two famous sisters, Ms. Quynh and Ms. Vy. Ms. Quynh runs Yaly, a clothing boutique, where we discussed the rise of the business and the challenges it faces. We learned our colors, and then worked individually with sales associates to be custom fit for whatever we came for. I had two silk suits made, and several tops and skirts. It was the most amazing and pleasant experience I have ever had in a clothing store. That evening we were measured and made our selections; the next evening we had our first fittings; and things were ready to be picked up the next day--incredible! (I also had a pair of shoes made and a few others clothing items at another shop, which was just as pleasant an experience.) One suit is a basic charcoal grey business suit. The other is dark green, long skirt, high collar, and embroidered. It's lovely, and judging by the reactions of my colleagues, it looks good too!
Ms. Vy runs the Cargo Club restaurant and Morning Glory cooking school. She told us all about the intricacies of Vietnamese cooking, what pairs with what and why, the varieties of rice paper, the abundance of spices--it was wonderful. We made our own spring rolls, then enjoyed one of the most amazing meals. Honestly, the fish was so divine I thought I'd melt right there at the table. Yes, we all enjoyed Hoi An.
I'd earlier posted a photo of the condiment dish. The bottom image is of Ms. Vy during our class. The top is the assortment of fruits and vegetables. That large red flower some of you might recognize as a banana flower. If you've never seen a banana tree, this flower comes up on a stem, then the banana bunch fruits and grows behind it. The leaves eventually drop off, and the flower falls to the ground as the fruit ripens. I'd never seen it used before in cooking, but we had banana flower salad for dinner that night--so tasty!
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