Lodi Gardens, New Delhi.

Finding a little bit of familiarity on my long way home…

Our grandparents live in Hawaii so Perrin and I have seen enough volcanoes and dried lava to be skeptical about the appeal of the 2,000 year old ruins of Pompei, a thriving Roman town that was buried under 13-19 feet of pumice and ash when Mt. Vesuvius exploded in 79 A.D.  Since we were living in the Napoli region we decided to embrace history and check it out.

It was well worth a trip and the 11 euro entrance fee.  We were amazed at how preserved the city was and how vividly you could see what life was like for Romans in the 1st century.  You can easily spend a full day crawling through blasted doorways. I recommend the audio tour (6 euro) since there are no signs on any of the sculptures and the guide is a wealth of interesting information, from basic building facts to in-depth chapters on subjects like wool weavers and calendars.  Here are just five reasons to visit Pompei.

1. You can eat lunch in a dining room from 79 A.D.
Ok, so we’re not sure if this was really socially acceptable or not. But to preserve some cash, Perrin and I brought lunch from home. Around noon we found an ancient ruined house with some shade and spread out our Tupperware in what was once the dining room. We were even joined by an adorable dog, who ate the pasta we shared like a true Italian. While we all refueled, about five tourist groups stopped to take our picture and look us up on the map. While they searched for our audioguide number we struck a number of mid-eating poses so we wouldn’t disappoint.

Just trying to blend in.

2. The brothels.
It is surely by some sort of divine intervention that lava filled every inch of the main town brothel but you can somehow still see Karma Sutra images — with creative recommendations for clients — painted perfectly above each room.  A session with a prostitute here was the same price as “a glass of medium quality wine and went straight to the pimp” – according to my audio tour – and graffiti on the wall indicates rampant complaints of venereal disease.  Not ideal conditions.

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Throughout Southern and Central Vietnam, you can find many Cham towers still standing. The kingdom of Champa thrived between the 2nd and the 15th centuries, and the ancient site of Mỹ Sơn was once the most important centre of this kingdom. Set in a jungle valley near Hoi An, it was built in the 4th century. The French rediscovered it in the late 19th century and took on the task of restoration. At its peak, there stood 68 structures but heavy American bombing resulted in only 20 remaining today. While it is older than Ankor Wat in Cambodia (to which it is sometimes compared), it’s a much smaller site and not quite as awe-inspiring. But Mỹ Sơn is charming, quaint and interesting all the same.