Temples in Vietnam

I wanted to share with folks about our adventures today to Tay Ninh. This is located near the border of Cambodia and is the location of a beautiful mountaintop Buddhist temple that is most commonly visited when seeking wealth and prosperity.

It was a fun and interesting day, particularly visiting such a site with a group of inquisitive Afghan Muslims. They were intrigued by it all and open to learning more.

On the way up to the temple we took a skytram. On the way down they actually had a fun sort of luge ride that you could take down instead. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of this, since I was on the ride. Perhaps I'll get some photos from some of the participants.
Just to the side of this reclining Buddha we had a bit of a cultural exchange. We enjoyed a picnic over to the side in a nice little wooded area. While we were there, a group of teenaged Vietnamese girls came by and were very intrigued by our group. The great part about this exchange was that neither group really spoke English, so most of it was just muddled along.

As we were leaving, someone suggested that one of the guys in our group sing a traditional Afghan song. He complied, and after he was done, they gestured for the Vietnamese girls to sing a song. They did so, some very embarrassed. Who knows what they were singing, it could have been the national anthem for all we know. I thought I had gotten off easy until they turned to me, and said that I then had to sing a song in English. I reluctantly complied, but figured, what the hell. I sang a cute song about the three little bears that I've known since I was a kid. Fun was had by all.

On the way back we also stopped at a Caodaist temple. This is a religion that combines Eastern and Western religions and is very popular in this area of Vietnam. They worship the eye, and have these cool dragons all over the place. Very trippy!

Enjoy!

Miel