While golden rays glisten upon Tien Sa Bay, autumn raindrops still drizzle on the path heading to Ba Na Mountain, so ‘four seasons in the mist’ is my description about the mount at the height of 1,487 meters above sea level. In a same day in Ba Na, people can admire the greenness of spring, a bit goldenness of summer, the romance of fall and chill of winter.
In the splendid surroundings when the cable car reached the height of 200 meters, I was amazed by the beauty of Toc Tien Waterfall and the Mai Spring showing off their whiteness amidst greenness of the tropical forest. Through the glass window, I could see wild banana flowers lurking under the foliage, recalling my childhood memories and nostalgia about a windy and sunny land.
In 1901, Ba Na was discovered by French people and was later developed into a high-standard resort of Indochina area in luxury Western style. On August 19, behind dense groves, there are still some moss-covered vestiges of damaged French villas on the peak.
Unlike previous times when I had to conquer about two kilometers trekking up to Linh Ung Pagoda from Debay station, this time I experienced a train trip at a speed of 5m/s with a ticket of VND70,000 to admire stunning sceneries and clouds hovering around.
Ba Na gets more attractive with annual flower festival from July 15 to August 15, featuring hundreds of species of flowers and ornamental trees at the Le Jardin D’amour (Garden of Love) right at the entrance to Linh Ung Pagoda. I seemed to get lost in a wonderland somewhere in France with colorful flowers set in themes, put in bamboo baskets and especially in big carts.
In whispers of winds, murmurs of flower branches and sweet melodies of French love songs, I totally indulged in sweet memories about love via novels of French writers.
No need to go to Bordeaux, I could also have a chance to taste famous wine at Debay wine cellar built in 1923 by French people near the flower garden. Western wine cellars are generally dug deep into the ground while Debay is dug deep into the mountain. The cellar is 100 meters long, 2.5 meters high and 2 meters wide.
Inside the cellar are trenches of storage, distillation, bars, fireplaces and lounges. The wall is built of rocks and mortar which is the mixture of sugar and resin of a tree only growing in Da Nang City and Quang Nam Province while the roof is shaped into an arch for safety and aesthetic purposes.
Inside the cellar, I felt a bit cold with 16 degrees Celsius but I was happy to enjoy wine.
On the top of the mountain, amidst old villas and towers are café and restaurants for tourists. Ba Na looks like an elegant corner of a young Western city, so foreigners often call it ‘Europe of the Central Region.’
When the night comes over the mountain, people make camp fires to warm the night. In that flickering light, couples hand in hand count stars in the sky while others eat popcorn and read love stories. So, Ba Na is not only a resort but also a paradise for couples.