Ha Long Bay
For our final morning in Hanoi, we had set our alarms and packed our bags the night before, and were downstairs at 6:50 ready for a 7 am pick-up. Unfortunately, our guide had arrived at 6:45. We did not get his call, so he had left. Our lovely hostess had alerted us to this fact and called our guide promptly to return. Saved, we were rightly collected and hauled our 2-tonne backpacks down the street (past the dodgy masseur Sarah had been desperately avoiding after her horrendous experience and subsequent refusal to provide a tip) onto our awaiting bus.
Leaving Hanoi, you can’t help but notice the bizarre carbon copy buildings that seem to be spat out next to each other on the outskirts of the city, like some eerie dystopian re-education camp or ‘Stepford Wives’ residence. We weren’t sure what to make of it (maybe our housing estates elicit the same thoughts?), and were swapping theories with a lovely American woman we met on the bus called Mary-Beth.
We arrived at the Ha Long International Port with an hour or so to kill and decided to be productive by booking our transport for the following day to Ninh Binh. Now, something critical to understand…that we greatly underestimated…is that Vietnam shuts down over Tet (10 days they say… But it’s more like 2-3 weeks). Thus, we had to pivot on our onward trip to Ninh Binh as we discovered that the ‘limousine van’ we would have taken was unavailable (due to Tet). With some quick calculations, we decided that the best course of action was to bus back to Hanoi and catch a train to Ninh Binh. With some superhuman Google-Fu, Sarah locked in a backup train from Hanoi which would leave at 2:20 pm the next day. But, to add a little spice to our adventure, we were then told that our returning bus was supposed to arrive anywhere between 2 or 2:30 into Hanoi!
So, do we make it? Did we ask too much of the Grand Time Lords to smile in our favour? Turn to page 3 of this Choose Your Own Travel Blog Adventure to find out! …Well scroll down… but you’ll skip all the juicy details.
The Cruise So far, one of the most spectacular things we’d experienced was our sail in the Philippines. How does sailing Ha Long compare? This is what we’d say: Sailing through the islets is majestic and utterly enchanting. These giant formations, dotted out as far as the eye can see, are utterly timeless. A day well spent may involve you just sitting on the top deck of a boat on a mild, overcast day watching these monoliths pass by. So, worth it? Yes, but a day trip may suffice.
As we were completing the tour during Tet, we were practically the only ones on the water and got to enjoy our first stop on the tour, the caves, almost entirely to ourselves. These were the first caves we had encountered on our trip and we were quite impressed (little did we know our minds would be blown just a week later in Phong Nha). That evening after dinner, our host let us know that we could go squidding over the side of the boat. As we dangled our bamboo poles over the side of the boat, bouncing them up and down under the floodlights, our host shared some stories about his experience studying in Melbourne. He’d apparently made friends with some insane Aussies while he was over there and showed us videos of them catching massive swordfish on their fishing trips. As we bounced our poles looking for any sign of life, we saw the flash of silver of the lone squid taunting us. We spent an hour or so doing our best to snag it. All of us eventually laid down our poles in defeat, with only Monica (a Slovakian who was also on the cruise) left trying her best to grab one.
Ha Long Bay Day 2
We got up the next morning and opened the curtains. The overcast day seemed to suit the scattering of sheer mountains as they passed by our porthole. Our plan for the second day on the water was to visit the famous Floating Village and have an opportunity to kayak through it. Just as we did with the caves, we were all loaded onto our little ferry and set sail for the village.
It was quite different from when Tosh went many, many, many years ago. A port station had now been set up to greet visitors and give some context to the village. Our guide told us that the Floating Village no longer hosts the number of villagers that it used to. Since 2014, the Vietnamese Government has been moving the villagers back onto the mainland as village life meant they had very poor access to education, healthcare, and experienced an overall poorer quality of life. So, bit by bit, family by family, they have been moved out back to the mainland and into the city.
Given the choice to kayak through the village or be paddled, we opted for the kayak. As we started to kayak out, it became apparent this was an exercise in coordination that proved a little outside of our capacity. With Tosh in the back, we would quickly start to drift in a direction that we did not intend to go (It was the kayak! The kayak I say). Tosh would then frantically paddle to correct the course, and Sarah, ‘assisting’ with the paddling, did not improve results. This may have put Tosh in an irate mood. Nevertheless, paddling through these looming islets with nothing but the sound of paddle slapping water made it a rather special moment. The village was much smaller than Tosh remembered. Before, there had been a multitude of huts and walkways linking them all together. Now, the village seemed more like a set. A few sparse huts and walkways still existed, but the magic that Tosh had experienced over a decade ago had long since left.
** Page 3 **
We clambered onto our big boat once more, only this time we were desperately looking at our watches to see if our hair-brained timing would work in our favour. Despite us willing our boat on ever faster, we returned to port 5 minutes behind schedule. The race to catch the train was truly on! With nothing but the power of Google translate and mime, we managed to communicate with the bus driver about our rather desperate situation. He, like an absolute champion, understood and assured us he would make sure we made the train. The journey was our own personal version of ‘Speed’. Imagine the bus careening around corners, us gripping the back of the seats. Dramatic. Intense. Ok, Perhaps not quite that mad, but close enough. 3 kilometres out from the train station, and with 30 min to spare, our bus driver stopped and let us know that this was as close as he could get us. With a frantic wave and more broken communication, we hailed a taxi and thanked the bus driver. With sweaty backs, and paying a little too much for the taxi, we had made it!
Hanoi station was old, our train was old, but it all worked with an honest efficiency. It also meant you got to experience something from a time gone by. The train conductors all use flags and have green safari helmets. The boom gates in the cities and towns seemed to be manually operated with streams of mopeds waiting on either side to cross the tracks as we raced through. Each station announcement started with a distinct Vietnamese announcement which then changed to English. It was hard to tell if it was a recording or live due to the distortion of the tannoy. Settled in, we watched the world trundle by and kept an eye on Google Maps as we watched the train snake its way through the countryside.
Trolley carts came by offering Pho Ga as an easy snack. In order to pass the time, we played Gin Rummy…learning the rules on the fly. Side note: Sarah won that first round of Gin Rummy. She would be slaughtered by Tosh later in the trip, and so wants it made clear that she’s not a complete loser.
We arrived at about 5:30, having left at 2:20 on the dot. With a heave, our driver from our homestay helped us lug our way-too-full-way-too-heavy (Yes, Mum. You did tell me!) backpacks into the boot. Our guilt about subjecting unwitting victims to the ridiculous backpacks was only growing. With some broken dialogue, we learnt our driver was from Tam Cốc, a small town on the outskirts of Ninh Binh town, where our homestay was.
Arriving at our hostel “Van Vienh” we met Phuong, an incredibly kind woman who greeted us with a big smile. She liked to touch her guests with a homely affection (arm squeezes and rib nudges). Phuong was pleased to have us and let us know about the numerous services she could provide (book transport, laundry, organise massage etc.) and was also, as it turns out, a Primary School teacher as well. She was so sweet that Sarah wanted to adopt her!
The room took us by surprise; it was really big. Super tall ceilings with a shower that wasn’t over the toilet like the one in Hanoi. It was paradise. Tosh was not a fan of the shoilets we had experienced up until this point.
Ninh Binh
Day 1
Happy Tet everyone! This was our first day for the Lunar New Year! To celebrate, our wonderful hosts pulled out an incredible spread for the guests, complete with rice, soups, spring rolls, meat, and some rice wine to cheers!
On our first full day, we grabbed the push bikes from our homestay and went out to explore and find a place called ‘Bird Valley’. The ride along the rice paddies cannot be understated. Vietnam is made for slow, easy riding. With the looming limestone karst mountains jutting out across the landscape, it’s ‘Ha Long Bay on Land’. After being confronted with a crossroads, a friendly woman offered to show us the way. With some gestures and a wave, she saw us off and we continued on. Another fun fact about Tet; entrance fees for some sites are waived ‘apparently’. Don’t ask us which ones specifically, we just know that going to see Vai Gioi cave was free! With our adventure nerves tickled, we pressed on to find the cave. Arriving at the bottom of the stairs, we hiked up an endless amount of stairs (Sarah whinging loudly) in the hope that the sweat and out-of-breathness (and tears, in Sarah’s case) would be worth it. It was a rather unassuming entrance at the top, but the cave inside was spectacular. See for yourself…
Pushing on, we cycled onto the next attraction; Bird Valley. We had no idea what to expect. “Let’s just take a look” was very much the attitude when buying our tickets. Within ten minutes of entry, we had experienced a boat ride through a pitch-black cave with nothing more than a head torch, and felt we had already got more than our money’s worth. The next 2-3 hours were spent exploring the grounds, which were full of flower gardens, orchards, and a lake. For those who might be looking for a family vacay…’all we’ll say is it’s ’Worth a look’. Just saying. Part of the charm of this experience was how quiet it was. There were very few others exploring the park, and therefore, our splendid afternoon felt like a peaceful stroll through a hidden park just for us.
The bike ride home took us through rice paddies dotted with towering, cliff-sheer mountains. As previously stated, Ninh Binh has been referred to as Ha Long Bay on Land, and we quite agree with this label. In fact, I think we both enjoyed Ninh Binh more than the famous Ha Long Bay.
Day 2
We took out our bikes again, only this time to the Mua Cave eco resort. A short 5-kilometre ride through the countryside took us to the entrance, although the final 200 metres felt like an insane game of tag as we wove through the parking scammers who would stand RIGHT IN YOUR WAY to redirect you to their parking areas. One guy nearly got us, but he was then distracted by another potential victim. The other tourist had more brains than us and accelerated past him. By the time our captor had turned, we were already hoofing it towards the entrance gates.
Funnily enough, you don’t go to Mua Cave eco-resort to see the cave. It’s the view at the top of Hang Mua temple that everyone is there for. It’s a steep and challenging climb up a seemingly endless stone staircase. Our thighs burned, our brows were drenched, and sweat poured out of entirely new places, but the exertion was worth the spectacular views of the surrounding landscape. We could see people far down below exploring the Tam Coc waterways in guided boat tours. It was Tet, though, so we were hardly the only ones there! We assume the view would be more peaceful at a less busy time.
Day 3
Sarah gathered her nerves and agreed to hire some small 50cc scooters (which are completely legal to drive without a licence in Vietnam) to make our way to Trang An, about a 20-minute ride away. We planned to take a relaxing scenic boat ride through the landscape, but little did we know, Tet had something else in store for us.
Quite frankly, it was insane. Tet had drawn out the entire population of Vietnam, some 100 million bodies, to Trang An on the exact day we went. The lines were longer than Disneyland in peak season, and the scrambling of tourists clad in gorgeous fluorescent life jackets into the boats was something to behold. The boat-rowers were on a conveyor belt-like rotation, taking one full boat of tourists after another.
Before you get in a boat, you have to let one of the coordinators on the shore know which of the 3 routes amongst the lakes you wish to take. Suddenly you’re in a frantic auction, the coordinator flashing up hands and corralling you and your fellow route-takers together. A small boat brushes up to the shore and everyone stumbles on. Then you’re off, the boat-rowers all using their feet to row. Not pedalling like a bike, but the exact same motion of rowing a boat, just with your feet!
The streams of boats were all moving from one little island to another in order for the tourists to visit the temples on the islands. It was a sight to behold. Also! We found out that this was where the Kong: Skull Island movie was filmed. Tosh just so happened to take a photo of a formation that was featured in the film!
We also rowed past the set they built as part of the village scenes. Again, worth it for the amazing sites you see…maybe even worth it to go on Tet just to see how insane the lines are.
Day 4
Another day of cycling was the plan… but plans don’t always work out! We opted to hire some sturdier mountain bikes for the day to explore the criss-crossing dirt tracks of the Tam Coc area. We intended to explore a few more caves, but alas, tragedy struck! You see, Sarah had been fighting a stomach bug for the majority of the time in Ninh Binh. Running to the toilet every hour is not the optimal way to explore this beautiful landscape. When we came upon a secluded cafe around lunchtime, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to have a bite and, more importantly, access the facilities. Very suddenly during lunch, Sarah began to feel unwell. Ultimately, this led to a bout of projectile vomiting 20 minutes later out the front of the cafe. Still no clues as to what actually caused the bug, as we had been eating the exact same food and Tosh managed to get away scot-free! Tosh said something about fragile stomachs… and, at this suggestion, Sarah proceeded to show him just how ‘fragile’ some of his body parts are.
Sarah felt like a brand new woman after expelling whatever needed to be expelled, but the idea of the planned longer bike ride no longer held the same draw. And so, a more relaxing afternoon was spent darting between the local cafes in town.
Sometime around 8 pm we returned to our guesthouse to collect our bags. Our amazing hosts were kind enough to motorbike us and our luggage down to the bus station. At 8:30 we boarded our first overnight bus and set off for Phong Nha.
3 Responses
Enjoying all your adventures through your entertaining blog. Hints of strengths and weaknesses of each tricennarian character showing through. Both obviously heroes of adventure and smiles!
…. although you may have overpacked the superhero utility backpacks!
Tosh may win at gin rummy, but Sarah wins at booking buses and projectile vomitting like a beautiful Vietnamese fountain… so, I think Sarah wins this round!
Glad you’re both having fun and logging all the funny moments
Classic tales. Felt like I was part of an adventure saga. Amazing descriptions and beautiful photos! So wonderful to see how accommodating the locals are to ensure you keep catching those connections.