Blogs from Ninh Binh, Red River Delta, Vietnam, Asia - page 5

Day 8 Today is another free day as it is Sunday. There were two choices that we came up with; some wanted to swim in a pool at a local hotel, and some didn't. I was with the ' did nots' as I felt, although I could seriously just dive into a lovely clean blue pool, I also think there is more to see, and I would rather do it whilst I have the chance. After breakfast the 'poolers' set off. The other group, which were; Amberlee, Roisin, Britty, Nadia and myself, hired bikes to go to Trang An caves/ grottos. The bike ride there took us through small typical Vietnamese villages. Most of the locals are very friendly and pleased to shout, hello, as we pass by. Some are obviously aware of the paleness of ... read more

Day 6 Bread and pineapple jam, or laughing cow cheese spread for breakfast..... Simple but pleasant. Today we all hired bikes for a ride to see the Thai VI temple which is located in a big valley of Van Lam hamlet, Ninh Hai Commune. The Van Lam villagers had built Thai Vi temple to remember the Kings of Tran Dynasty for establishment of Vu Lam Royal step-over in 1258 after the kings passed away. It was a real breeze on the bikes; both literally, and metaphorically! We had a short lesson on the procedure of presenting yourself in front of the kings; bowing 3 times in a temple, and 4 times in a pagoda. You then, in your head, say your name, address and the date, then add your wish. We all participated in this. It ... read more

Yesterday we set off early from our hotel to catch a train at 8.30am. The train station was heaving yet luckily a friendly security guard showed us exactly where to stand on the platform to ensure we got in the right carriage. The platform was ridiculously long and people were walking all over the tracks as well as driving their mopeds across them as the tracks were platform level. Once the train arrived it was a bit of a crush but our huge backpacks managed to fend of anyone wanting to overtake us! As soon as we stepped onto the train all eyes were on us! We found our seats and settled in for the 14 hour journey. The train was quite tatty but comfortable enough and luckily the seats reclined. The scenery was great so ... read more

Estuvimos en Ninh Binh solo un día y una noche, tiempo suficiente para visitar Tam Coc y sus alrededores; y lo primero que hicimos fue visitar Tam Coc por la mañana, también llamado "Bahía de Halong en los arrozales" porque son montañas como las de la Bahía de Halong esparcidas entre los arrozales; tomamos un barco que en un par de horas te pasea por el río que va entre los sembradíos de arroz y pasa por debajo de un par de cuevas, el barco es impulsado por una mujer que mueve los remos con las piernas... no es una mala idea, el barquito iba rápido y como los músculos de las piernas son más grandes que los de los brazos supongo que el/la que rema se cansa menos; el paisaje es hermoso, me gustó más ... read more

And some photos... read more