Sept. 13, 2019
The Golden Bridge, famous because of the big hands that hold it in place, is a popular tourist attraction.
Let’s shift the conversation from independence to colonization. Specifically, the French colonial period, a time that led to the big hands at Ba Na Hills.
It was the late nineteenth century and the French colonists decided they wanted a resort for their homeland’s tourists. Situated at the top of Mount Chua, 40 kilometers west of downtown Da Nang and almost 1,500 meters above sea level, the retreat was built to resemble a medieval French village. The architecture is beautiful.
I took a motorcycle taxi to get here for 113,000 vnd, then paid another 850,000 vnd for my entrance ticket, so I could hit the lunch buffet before taking a look around. For a ticket sans meal privileges, it’s 750,000 vnd.
The food was good and the village was nice but my main reason for coming was the Golden Bridge, the 150-meter marvel held up by big hands of stone. (I think bridges are the best and brightest projects of civil engineering.) This opened just last year and has been a popular addition to the park.
When I was there, it was shrouded in clouds, another enjoyable experience. It was also crowded with tourists, something not so nice but utterly unavoidable.
After I was done here, I made my way back to the cable cars. Apparently they are the longest continuous cable cars in the world, at almost 6,000 meters. The ride also rises higher than any other of its kind, nearly 1,400 meters.
I really loved how the descent started in the clouds, nothing but white all around me, until eventually, at a lower elevation, a blue sky and view of the mountains came into focus. I could see the coast too, although just barely.
My plan was to come in December, but a love for labor is luring me south. I’ll explain more later.