Conquer the Fairy Chessboard

Hearing the homeroom teacher announce that the class's experiential activity this month was a picnic in Con Son (Chi Linh), I was very excited. This was the second time I had been to Con Son. The first time I came here with my family in the fall. This time was more special because I came to Con Son in the spring and also got to go with my classmates. I will definitely conquer the Fairy Chessboard on the top of Con Son mountain.

Since early morning, my mother prepared warm clothes for me. Because of the excitement of going on a picnic in a far away place, none of my classmates felt cold.

The car sped along the wide roads. On both sides were dense, towering pine forests. It only took about 40 minutes for us to reach Con Son.

Through the ticket gate, everyone looks out to admire the peaceful natural scenery of the relic site. In early spring, Con Son relic site welcomes many tourists to visit and worship. Next to the rows of old pine trees, many visitors take the opportunity to take beautiful spring photos here.

We walked in two lines to Con Son Pagoda to pay our respects. We listened attentively as the head teacher told us about the history of the ancient pagoda. Con Son Pagoda has a profound and ancient beauty. The teacher said that the pagoda has many works rich in historical and cultural values ​​from the Tran and Le dynasties such as: Nine Lotus Flowers, the statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara with a thousand hands and a thousand eyes, and many other statues with different beauties...

This time, coming to Con Son, we learned a lot of knowledge about this special relic site.

After visiting the temple, we experienced mountain climbing. The teacher gave us detailed instructions and divided us into small groups to go together and support each other when necessary.

The road up to Con Son mountain is so beautiful this season. On both sides are pine forests and along the road are planted many chrysanthemums and lotus flowers.

As we walked, we learned about the typical plants that live and grow in this forest. The Con Son stream is dry in the spring, and the large and small rocks are clearly visible, not submerged in the cool, clear stream water like when I visited in the fall.

The higher up the road to Ban Co Tien, the thicker the fog. Stone steps of different heights led us to the top of the mountain. On both sides of the road were still rows of ancient trees, mainly pine trees, bamboo, and reeds.

We were tired from climbing the mountain, so we stopped to rest from time to time, listening to the teacher tell us about the story of the Fairy Chessboard. She said that this place had a quiet space and beautiful scenery, so fairies from heaven often came down to play chess. One autumn morning, the poets parted the grass and lifted the flowers to find the top of the mountain. When they got close, they heard the sound of strings and flutes, but when they arrived, there was no one, only an unfinished chessboard. People thought that the fairies had come down here to play chess, dance and sing, and when they heard the sound of people, they quickly flew back to heaven. Because when I reached the top of the mountain, I really saw a stone table that many people often called the Fairy Chessboard. The mist was hazy on the top of the mountain and remembering the story the teacher had just told, I felt like I was lost in a fairyland.

In addition to the stone chessboard, on the top of the mountain there is also a small house marked Bach Van Hermitage. It is said that this is a place for chanting sutras, practicing meditation, preaching Dharma, and for Taoist priests to practice alchemy.

The first time climbing to the top of the mountain, admiring the beauty of the spring mountains and forests in the mist is really interesting. If you go to the top of the mountain in the summer or on days without mist and few clouds, you will surely see how beautiful the scenery below the mountain is.

I have fulfilled my wish to conquer the top of Con Son mountain and experience playing chess like the gods on this mountain top. If you have the chance, please come here to visit!