The journey from Cat Ba to Ninh Binh was an absolute swine. It was going smoothly until we got piled on to one crap mini bus and then a second even crapper mini bus. It was very confusing and frantic - one French couple got moved to the back of the bus so that some posh Vietnamese couple could sit in the seats that had the leg room (not that they really needed it). The man in said couple had a a very long finger nail and a mole on his face with some very long hair growing from it.
After four or five hours we made it to Ninh Binh bus station and were greeted by a hotel tout but this time, as it was the hotel we were going to look at any way, we took his offer and followed him back to the hotel. The New Queen Mini Guesthouse was very nice indeed. It was also near the train station which is where we went first to book train tickets on the sleeper train to Hue (our next port of call).
The first thing that we noticed was now friendly Ninh Binh was. Many children on bikes riding round the quiet streets saying "Hello!" and waving and smiling made it feel very different from Cat Ba or Hanoi. There was also very little in the way of English text to read but we eventually found a cafe with a menu in English and stopped in for some bia hoi. The bar man asked us if we'd like to take a tour with his mate, Long. Long was a tour guide who also did some freelance work at cheap rates. We found out all the details and later on we booked the trip. On the way back to the cafe I walked into a metal bar at pace. The noise was apparently horrific and a Vietnamese guy ran over to check on me. All I remember was my teeth hurting as they had smashed together on impact. Slight concussion but I was alright.
So, the tour on bicycles began early. We hired bikes and then met Long at the Cafe before embarking on leg one of the tour - riding bicycles on the motorway. Not the best fun really but "unavoidable" according to Long. Claire was a bit wobbly having not been on a bike since her ill-fated BMX cider expedition to Coop (sure some of you will remember that night).
We soon moved in to countryside and started leg two - this was when it got good - absolutely no sound of a motor or engine, just wildlife and scenery to enjoy whilst we rode through the fields. We reached Tam Coc which is described as Halong Bay of the paddy fields, a decent enough description. We paid for two women (mother and daughter) to row us up river (with their feet!) through a few caves and past some of most stunning scenery we had even seen. It was gorgeous. Gave the women a tip and went back to the bikes for leg three.
We went to a small temple and met the keeper of the temple - a very old guy with cracking beard. Long was excellent at describing the religions in Vietnam and the history of his country. We got to climb the bell tower and whack a huge ancient bell with a big mallet.
Headed for the 1000 stair pagoda (or something) which was a long ride away followed by a short walk through a cave to which presented us with a lovely view of the valley. Then it was up the 1000 stairs to the pagoda. Knackering to say the least but the view was rather special. We could see Tam Coc and now there were many tourists and lots of the boats (we arrived early and pretty much had the place to ourselves). Back down the stairs and off for lunch.
Lunch was a local affair which was great for me (goat) and not so great for Claire (snot soup).
Our final sight was the old capital of Vietnam which was bombed to bits by the yanks. They had rebuilt it (the temples are made of wood and can be deconstructed, hidden in a cave, and rebuilt after any trouble - clever). Saw the king's crown and throne and stuff then saw some war veterans then cycled back to Ninh Binh on the busy roads. Had a celebratory drink (26 miles covered) and tipped Long as he really was an excellent guide and a friendly chap as well (his company was called Vic Travel I think, based in Ninh Binh).
The next day we just bummed about and uploaded lots of photos, drank Bia Saigon and waited for the train at 9pm. The train was excellent - will right about it in the next post.
Ninh Binh isn't very touristy and all the better for it. It's a good base for day tripping and the bicycle tour was one of the best days I've had. The surrounding scenery and history is amazing and the fact that there are few tourists just makes it feel better. Highly recommended.
Next up, All aboard - the night train (and Hue)
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