Between the city of Da Nang, Vietnam and the South China Sea there are several karst cliffs that rise up from the otherwise flat land. These mountains are associated with various elements and deities. This area of Vietnam, like a lot of Southeast Asia, has a spiritual history of animism blended with Buddhism and some Hinduism. Marble Mountain, one of these sacred sites, became a hospital for Viet Cong fighters during the US-Vietnam war. While US soldiers were on RnR on the China Beach below, Viet Cong were tended to by monks above.
So you know we wanted to visit this place.
It's incredible. You can hike up this vertical mountain or take a recently installed elevator up to the top where you'll find most of the cave altars. Wandering into quietly dripping moss, bat echoes quiet the pilgrims.
The big attraction is a much more recently erected 60-foot Buddha. This Buddha watches over the South China Sea near statues of Kwan Yin, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy who is said to be the patron saint of this region.
The Buddha also faces this cliff of demon serpents and buddhas. The serpents, also known as nagas, are featured in many stories. I love the proximity of ferocity and peace.
Kwan Yin is represented throughout the region. She is the archetype of mercy and compassion. I had visited Hoi An before and never knew it was presided over by this feminine understanding of grace.
Kevin is a big fan of these weird pickled, salted, dried plum candies. They're said to be good for your uterus. If you want to get a more accurate read on their taste see Cindy's face in the photo below.
Marble Mountain is so uniquely Vietnamese in that it represents the intersection of all these compelling forces: spirituality, history, culture. It's a place of great excitement-- I mean, planes were shot down from the mountain over the ocean! It's a place of great tragedy and loss. It's also a place of great reverence and meaning. Monks are buried beneath the statues of holy figures, adding their potency to the earth.
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