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Hello everybody!
This blog is bout Ninh Binh, a small town we visited for a day between Hue and Hanoi. We had heard it was similar to Ha Long Bay but on land, so we thought it worth a stop off.
We arrived on the night bus from Hue and having been told we would arrive at half 7 we set our alarms for 7, hopeful we would sleep. As expected we got virtually no sleep and we arrived at 5 in the morning, very tired and disorientated. There was one lonely guy there advertising his hotel and with few other options went to look at it. Luckily it was cheap, had large rooms with very very comfy beds :-)
We checked in and had a nap till about 9, before getitng some breakfast. We set out rented bicycles to see some fo the town, and being honest, it wasnt great :-) There is not much to the town, except a large double carriageway field with vans, lorries, cars, mopeds and pedestrians. It was very hot, humid, and very very smoggy. There was also nothing whatsoever to look at in the town, as there is virtually no tourism here. Lonely Planet describes this as a breath of fresh air from the touristy sites, but the air was definitly not fresh!
We went back to the hostel, got ready and set out to see Bich Dong Pagoda and Tam Coc.
It was a 10km cycle, initially along the motorway, and then along a quieter road. The last few kilometers cycling to the pagoda was through lush rice paddies and dramatic limestone cliffs, which was very cool. The pagoda is only small, with three buildings at different heights on a cliffface. We climbed up to the top, and the view would have been incredible as described, except it was obscured by some trees :-)
Then next we went to Tam Coc. This is a river that winds its way through some amazing scenery, and through some caves in these limestone karsts. We reneted a boat and paddler for 2 hours, and the lady could paddle the boat using just her feet. It was a very relaxing ride and very pleasant, even if the seats were a lttle uncomfortable.
Once we got back to land we cycled back to the hostel. We were both pretty tired from lack of sleep and lots of cycling, so relaxed in the hotel for a while, before sitting down to a four course set menu of spring rolls, stir fried vegetables, steamed rice and beef stir fry which was very nice :-) And very filling :-)
After an earlyt night on very comfortable beds we got up, packed, and got on a mimibus to Hanoi, the capital city. So despite the town being unattractive and smoggy, the surorunding countryisde is amazing, and was well worth a visit.
Bye
Tom and Kate
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Rod Evans Hi Tom and Kate just got back and found your e-mail can you confirm the account name as seems a bit weird