~ Two Cham Mosques ~
As well as hotel-based tours there are touts on the river esplanade in Chau Doc who will try to take you on river tours. To 'fish farms'. And 'to see the Cham village'. That may suit some but not me. Because with a little motivation, spare time and 'small' money you can do it for yourself.
Aug. 23. On the morning of Monday, August 23, I awake at the Hoa Hung Hotel in central Chau Doc in the VND 100k or $5 per night room up on the rooftop floor. There's a great view through big glass doors and it catches the morning sun too. The sun's out and about today. By this stage I've been in Chau Doc for ten days and the only 'out of town' trip was to Nui Sam or Sam Mountain on August 18 with a couple of friends. That was an interesting one at their instigation.
So this fine morning, I text BigManJohn and ask if he's interested. I'd heard about remnants of the historic Cham people living here. I'm heading over to Chau Giang on the car ferry, which is about equidistant from our rooms. I want to see the Mubarak Mosque and whatever else catches my eye. John lives out at Cho Chau Long or Chau Long market, about 3 kms downstream from central Chau Doc. He texts me back: 'Good idea Dave...haven't been over there in all my days in Chau Doc'. Surprise, surprise. John's spent a good two or three years living here with his long-time girlfriend Hien whose family comes from Chau Doc.
I walk the couple of kilometres to the ferry. They're waiting for me when I finally get there. I get delayed surveying some ordinary street scenes on the way. A colorful side-street fruit stall for example. I also dally on the main road corner looking from the road up the river as a cyclo passes. It's heading into town past the Chau Doc Victoria Hotel. I hang a right to the ferry. Chau Giang where I'm headed today is across the river. We meet up and take the car ferry the ten minutes it takes to cross. We meet some Japanese tourist girls.
Off the ferry we come to a 'T' intersection. The Japaneses girls hang a left and appear to head off for drinks. We hang a right. I've no prior knowledge of where the mosque is and neither does John. Hien knows the place but doesn't say a thing. This suits me just fine...following my nose again. On the way down the narrow road parallel to the river, we pass some water pumps pumping river water for irrigation and I take in some interesting houses. There's some shops mobile sellers. Perhaps the best part of one kilometre later on the left there's a blue sign saying a school. Behind it, for all to see, there it is. The Mosque Jamiul Azhar. Very photogenic with it's minaret. We go in and look around. There's nobody much around. We rest and fool around...smoking and drinking outside.
It takes me a while to realize that it's not Mubarak which is said to have at least one sizeable Cham pre-Islamic artefact. Brought here to safety as the people fled for their lives from Annam. It's was the name for central coastal Vietnam and was the Cham homeland hundreds of years ago. My friends decide that they've had enough once we leave the grounds of the Jamiul Azhar Mosque. They head back towards the car ferry. I've just started my day! After a final look back at the mosque, I hang a left and saunter on away from the ferry.
As I wander along there are some interesting scenes. The further away I get from the mosque it becomes more or less an ordinary Vietnamese community. The number of people of Chan origin living here in Chau Giang district is obviously not that great. They live close to their places of worship. Like they have since they arrived here when the Khmers held sway.   Once I've covered about three or four kilometres it's time for a coffee and nicotine break. This is as far downstream on this bank of the river as I get. U-turning and heading back past the mosque again there are interesting ordinary people beside their pretty ordinary wooden homes. Many have wide smiles for the stranger. There are intriguing extended family scenes right by the roadside. Nearer the ferry and yes, it's clear now that I'm now that the people are Cham people. I notice some beautiful, old, wooden homes. Most are really well-maintained. Home is where the heart of the family is and the community's heart is the mosque!   I'm back at the 'T' intersection. Turn left and I'll take the car ferry over without finding the Mubarak Mosque. It turns out that the Japanese girls had probably read their guide books thoroughly. They must have known exactly where it is. You turn left off the ferry...not right as we had done. I didn't know this at the time. Now, I just want to make the most of the day...and find that mosque! It's hot. It's midday. It's prayer time. Devotees are just leaving as I pass it. I suppose I should have ventured over to ask about the relic I'd heard about. Maybe next time. It's been in safe keeping a long time. It's not just going to vanish now! So mission accomplished. I found the mosque. Now it's decision time. I'm getting pretty tired. I've sauntered around for hours. I've covered at least seven or eight kilometres. But I'll continue ahead and go for the round trip. I've noticed myriads of small 'sampan-like' boats that come across the river all the time. There's no need to double back and return to the Chau Doc side by the car ferry. And I should end up closer to my room if all works out. And it does. I'm glad I took the unknown path.   I stop for another coffee break on the point of Chau Giang opposite Chau Doc town and I observe people coming and going out of a lane directly across the road. Some guys are sitting talking there. As I pay for the drinks I ask in very broken Vietnamese...'duoc di Chau Doc' and pointing across the road. 'Can go to Chau Doc'. Affirmative! Down the lane, I immediately board a small passenger boat. VND2k. It's tiny compared to the ferry. It chugs effectively across the almost one kilometre Mekong branch. Before long I'm back once again on dry land in Chau Doc. I'm virtually in the centre of town on the riverbank at the end of the esplanade opposite the General Post Office. What a great day's outing it's been to Chau Giang District with it's Mosque Jamiul Azhar and Mubarak. It's the people I met that made it such a memorable one though! |