My Son Half Day Tour 2018

Since I cannot travel yet, I am reminiscing about the travels I had at the beginning of 2018. I will try to remember them as best as I can as I feel that a lot of things have happened after coming to Australia and starting a new life. So here it goes..

One of the things that we did in Hoi An, Vietnam was visit My Son Sanctuary. The temples built there were from the 4th to 13th century. We booked our ticket through the Sinh Tourist shop in Hoi An. We could have easily bought it online but we chose to physically get it from the shop the day before the tour. We originally planned to have the sunrise tour but it was not available. We then decided to just do the half day bus tour for 99,000 VND or 5 USD. 

At 8am the following day, we were picked up by a bus from our hotel. I remember it wasn't full and only a total of about 10 people. I remembered I was sick from cough and colds during this time but I can still manage to smile for a good photo! It's really hard to be sick while travelling, over the counter decongestants helped me to live during these times lol

It was a 2 hour drive from Hoi An and we arrived at about 10am. The guide collected the entrance fee from each of us which was about 150,000VND or 7 USD. 

We thought that we were to trek to where the ruins are. Here is the main entrance of the protected site. 

I was so excited to see the ruins but I cannot see it from here. We stopped after crossing this land bridge to ride a shuttle bus to get us nearer the ruins. The ride lasted for about 2-3 minutes. 

Then our guide showed us this miniature model of the whole place. Giving us the details of where we are to go and of course the history of the place. 

There were a lot of tourists with us and it was quite difficult to get a good photo but nonetheless it did not bother me. 

These tower temples were constructed over ten centuries. The Champa's unique culture owed it spiritual origins to the Hinduism of the Indian sub continent. With this influence, many temples were built to the Hindu divinities such as Krishna, Vishnu and above all Shiva. 

I love that our guide was very knowledgeable and explained a lot of things about the ruins but still I could not remember any of them. I was just awed at how the temples were still standing even if they were made centuries ago.

During World War II, many tower temples were damaged. However, conservation work has been carried out and have been maintained and preserved. 

Weather conditions especially the rain, has made the temples conducive to plant growth. 

We were given ample time to explore on our own as well. 

By 12 noon, the tour has finished and we arrived back to Hoi An at 1pm. 

It was another tick off my bucket list of Unesco world heritage sites! For me, nothing beats the temples of Ayutthaya in Thailand but I could not be more lucky to have the chance to visit both sites in this lifetime. 

Thank you for reading and 'til next blog!

Gunther Von Hagens' Body Worlds Vital in Melbourne

This excited me the first time I saw this exhibition being featured on the news. I find it interesting and at the same time educational especially that I work in the healthcare field. The exhibition is called Body Worlds Vital. It is an original exhibition of real human bodies by Gunther Von Hagens, the inventor of Plastination. Usual admission price for an adult is $30 which was a bit expensive for me. But then, they had a promotion for $50 for 2 people and so I dragged my cousin along last 25 October 2018.

Before going in, we were given these tokens. The staff informed us that at the end of this exhibition, we could choose which change we would like to do with our lifestyle.

We also chose to rent an audio for AUD 5 to hear more information about the displays. All we had to do was press the corresponding number and place the speaker near our ears.

At the start of the exhibit, I saw this on the wall. All the exhibits here are from an ethically reviewed Donor Program managed by the Institute of Plastination in Germany. Also, all anatomical specimens on display here are authentic.

The exhibit was divided into bodily systems. The first system discussed was about the muscular system. It showed how the muscles looked like to achieve our bodily movements. 

It also featured about the skeletal system. From my anatomy class before, I've learned that the smallest bones in the body are found in the ear. These are the hammer, anvil and stirrup. But I didn't really realize how tiny they are until I saw it in this exhibit.

photo courtesy of Paolo Ungab

I was particularly impressed on how the nervous system looks like in the entire human body. It is an amazing sight. And just amazing how the messages are sent to the brain in less than a second for the brain to interpret.

Another striking thing I saw was the obvious difference between a normal lung and the black tarry lung of a smoker.

The exhibit also featured video presentations like this which is about cells behaving badly and becoming tumours and cancer. Also, I saw a very interesting and educational video presentation about dementia and how it affects the human brain.

These are the small blood vessels running underneath the skin in our face. No wonder we blush quite easily!

The man behind this exhibition.

At the end of this exhibition and after seeing all the lifestyle changes that we can do to make sure our bodies are kept healthy and strong, we were then asked to drop our token in one of these choices. The choices were sleep more, exercise more, less alcohol, less sugar, stress less, work less, stop smoking and switch off.

There was also a gift shop wherein more educational books and toys where on sale. 

All in all, it was an afternoon well spent and I felt happy I got to see it while they are here in Melbourne. I do hope that they get to visit more cities and spread these awareness to adult and kids.

P.S. Before I released this blog, I was watching a James Bond movie called Casino Royale and just realized that it was featured in the film!Proud to say I've seen the display in real life :)

Thank you for reading and 'til next blog!