Roxana had a dream. She had read online that there was a Golden Hand Bridge. Prior to booking with Flash Pack, she inquired about an excursion to Ba Na Hills to see the bridge. Our guide, Hoang Lee, told us we would have free time to visit, but it wasn’t part of the itinerary. After minimal recruiting, the four women decided to visit the Golden Bridge.
None of us knew exactly what we were getting into. In fact, I imagined we would catch a taxi, drive to the bridge, eat a picnic lunch, and admire the views. Boy, was I mistaken!
In reality, the Golden Bridge is in the midst of a European theme park and recreation center atop the Trường Sơn Mountains. To reach Ba Na Hills, you have to ride one of the cable cars from the parking lot to the resort. There’s apparently no other way to get there.
Amazingly, the cable car system has been ranked as one of the ten most impressive systems by CNN, and Guinness even certified one of the cable cars as the longest nonstop single-track cable car. I don’t know if we saw it or rode it, but the cable car system was indeed impressive. And, I’ve ridden my share of cable cars.
Okay, before I proceed further, let me tell you exactly how we made it to the resort. First, we hired a driver. Hoang Lee arranged that for us. The driver could only take us so far, so we boarded buses to the ticketing/entrance area. Kirsten went in to the ticketing area (one person per group allowed) and purchased both our tickets and our lunch (more on this feast later). Once everything had been purchased, we followed the crowds down walkways and up escalators until we reached the cable car.
Like a well oiled machine, the boarding process was smooth as silk. We found our car, squeezed in, and headed for the top.
Clear views to the top amazed us all. I marveled at the scientific feat it took to build all these cable cars and keep them operational as well provide an efficient transportation system. Honestly, it was impressive.
Once we reached the summit, we weren’t sure where to go. This place had a wide range of things to do. First, we passed an assortment of carnival games. We’d arrived early enough that the workers could help us find our way.
Despite them providing us a map, we still got lost multiple times. We did find the European themed town. Like Disney, all these shops were filled with merchandise. Corell ended up with a replica Golden Bridge Statue, but the rest of us just enjoyed looking through the stores.
Eventually we found the Golden Bridge. We had to take a short cable car ride to it, but relief hit when we finally got there. Despite arriving early to the resort, the bridge felt like it held near capacity foot traffic.
When our photo session began, the sky was blue. However, the clouds quickly rolled in and likely provided the shots many imagined—a depiction of God’s hands reaching from the heavens.
The crowds overwhelmed us, and it was evident the Golden Bridge was THE attraction. We did stumble across the indoor amusement park though. Named Fantasy Park, the amusement park found its theme within two novels—Journey to the Center of the Earth and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. I had wanted to ride the Alpine Coaster, but no one would ride it with me.
Rather than make everyone wait while I filed through the line, I took a few shots of Fantasy Park then headed back to the group.
The next step in our adventure was to find our lunch buffet. We walked everywhere and couldn’t find it. We saw beautiful things along the way, but utilizing their map created more chaos than clarity.
Our navigational efforts went like this…“Excuse us. Which way to the buffet? (Pointing at our tickets)” We would walk 100 yards…“Excuse us. Which way to the buffet?” Eventually, we arrived. I think the pictures tell the best story…
The buffet was an “intimate” gathering with hundreds of our closest friends. Many food stations filled the area, and people loved it. Tables were stacked with the dirty dishes that had been used in this gluttonous feast, and many guests sprawled across the tables, exhausted from their efforts.
We stayed longer than we wanted, but the rains came through town. Thankfully, we had a dry place to wait out the deluge.
Once it ended, we started to make our way home. Earlier in the day we noticed these squirrel sculptures in the gardens. They intrigued me, so I asked if we could follow the trail.
This led us to the Linh Phong Thien Tu Pagoda. This complex is part of the spiritual area of Ba Na Hills. Ascending the stairs, we found beautifully manicured gardens. The Buddhas had their charming child-like appearance, and we enjoyed our ascent.
Once atop the spiritual area, we found a ceremonial bell house where a gong regularly filled the airways with its sound.
As we departed the area, we found the cable car we had taken in the morning had closed. Instead, we followed the crowds and made our way down the mountain using a different cable car system. I feared we might struggle to find our driver. However, the system worked well, and we made it back in time for our regularly scheduled tour.
Leave a comment