Where flowers grew and the sun shone still
Now I’m darker than the deepest sea
Just hand me down, give me a place to be

And I was strong, strong in the sun
I thought I’d see when day was done
Now I’m weaker than the palest blue
Oh, so weak in this need for you

Place to be, Nick Drake

June 13, 2016 – June 20, 2016

Hanoi, Ninh Binh, and Bai Tu Long Bay

I took a short flight from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi. I could have done the whole bus ride thing but I just didn’t have the patience. I had originally wanted to get off the beaten path in Ho Chi Minh, maybe sail up/down the Mekong delta, or visit some remote village. But, I wasn’t able to scrounge together enough people to pull it off so I took it easy while in the South and then headed North to get access to some of the fun stuff there.

I ended up staying in the Old Quarter, which is super touristy but also easily accessible to everywhere. I stayed in an ‘upscale hostel’, called Nexy Hostel, that had just opened up. They were offering beds at a discount since they had just opened. It was owned by a young Pakistani guy and Vietnamese girl. They had a very nice hostel-world domination plan. They were going to open upscale hostels all over Southeast Asia. This was their starter hostel and it was actually quite nice. The rooms were a bit cramped, but that’s typical for a hostel and there were some plumbing issues…that might have been because a bunch of people around me were getting the food poisonings…but overall it was a really nice place to stay. I had a stomach of steel by this point so it didn’t bother me none. I got to know the staff and the hostel became my hub for my northern wanderings.

I didn’t really do that much IN Hanoi besides eat and drink and wander the alleys but, I did check out the local fine arts museum (Bao Tang My Thuat). I learned that not many people come here. I don’t understand why though, because the place is really amazing. I’ve included some pics of pieces in the museum below. This is also where I got to see some of the silk paintings that Bri Bri had mentioned to me. His father had seen them when he was in Vietnam during the war and had told Brian about them. Sneaky Danielle had contacted me about getting Brian a painting for his upcoming birthday. I looked everywhere in the Old Quarter but most people either didn’t know what they were or directed me to another shop that also didn’t have them. The museum shop was the only place that I was able to find them. I also found a cute lithograph of bicycles that I think Bri Bri liked. Anyway, it’s worth the visit.

Ninh Binh Province

At Nexy, I met a young Australian couple that were planning on going to Ninh Binh, we’ll call them G and H. I had heard and read good things about Ninh Binh so, I asked if I could tag along and they agreed. Ninh Bình is about 2.5-3 hours south east of Hanoi and we planned to take the 9am train. We were running a bit late and G thought it might be a good idea to try uber. So we ordered one but had numerous issues since none of us had a local sim card. After much back and forth we finally left for the train station at 8:45 AM. We arrived at the station at 8:58 AM and somehow made in on in time. It was dramatic way to start the day. The ride was uneventful and we slept most of the way. We had heard about the taxi drivers swindling you at the train station and all of us had witnessed it in other parts of Vietnam. So, when we arrived in Ninh Binh station we tried our best to drive a hard bargain, so much so that we walked away from the train station hoping to find a taxi outside. Ninh Binh is a very small town. The taxi drivers that hadn’t already left followed us. We were like fish in a barrel. There was no negotiation to be done. We had no options. We tried waiting them out at a small restaurant nearby, even asked the restaurant owner for help finding another taxi. No luck, he just called over the dudes that were waiting and told just the price is what it is. So after much frustration we just gave in and agreed to the price. The funny thing was that while G and I were completely up in arms about this whole situation, H was completely relaxed. I need to learn to chill like that in situations like these. The whole negotiating business gets really irritating because as soon as the locals recognize you as a foreigner all you are to them is an ATM and if you’re a white foreigner, you’re a gold plated ATM. I understand that even the poorest among us travelers are millionaires compared to some of these folks but G said something that resonated with me…you shouldn’t have to negotiate for water! I stand by that!

Anyway, the good thing is that this was pretty much the extent of the drama. Once we got to where we were staying, the scenery changed, the pace changed, we were greeted by many puppies, we found hammocks and our moods lightened significantly. We stayed at family run guesthouses that were located on a functioning farm (Ninh Binh Valley Homestay). They have small, open air, bungalows that sit at the edge of a little pond that is filled with lotus flowers and sheltered on all sides by green limestone hills. I could not have imagined that such a place existed and quite honestly my pictures couldn’t do it justice. The place was managed by a young man that was the nephew of the owners and the only one that spoke English. Ngoc was a spectacular guide during our few days there. On our first day there, he lent us some bikes to check out the area. They were super squeaky and hard to handle but it didn’t matter because the area is flat and really easy to travel. We wandered through small alleyways, past rice fields, and stinky buffaloes over to the Trang An grottos to check out the area. We were a bit late for the boat rides but we looked around and got some treats. On our ride back we were treated to a beautiful sunset. Oh we ran in to some adorable kids along the way that knew how to say hello…and that was pretty much all they knew. They hollered it at us as we rode past them and when we stopped to chat with them.

Early morning, the next day, our guide took us to Hang Mua – AKA the Dancing Cave. We rode our bikes there and then had to climb 400+ steps to get to the temple on top. About half way up it started pouring and I had my precious with me, G had her camera too. The boys decided to run ahead up the stairs with our cameras to get them out of the rain. I don’t know how they did it. I tried running up but gave up pretty quickly and just settled on getting wet. It was still pouring when we reached the temple at the top but fortunately it only lasted for about 5 minutes and then dried up. The temple at the top has a statue of Mary and just spectacular views of Ninh Binh. Again, absolutely unreal. We had a lazy day that day, enjoying the hammocks, learning how to eat lotus seeds, and taking a perilous boat ride on the pond. By the way, it is ridiculously hot in Vietnam in June. The homestay did not have hot water and I think this is the only time in my life I have thoroughly enjoyed a freezing, cold shower. We ate dinner at the homestay. Ngoc had us try a local rice wine, we listened to some Nick Drake, and then the guitars came out for an impromptu jam session. Wonderful day and night.

The next morning we took a boat tour of the Trang An Grottoes. We sailed down the river with our guide past the limestone hills and sometimes underneath them through the caves. The water had bright green plants growing almost up to the surface. All you could see was green. The caves had barrels of the rice wine that was fermenting. There were several temples along they way. Our guide rowed the boat with her feet! It was really cool.

After our boat ride, we got some lunch, gathered our things and were deposited on motorcycles to take us to the train station to head back to Hanoi. We all went back to Nexy. I had only very briefly known G and H before we decided to spend 2 days in close proximity. I’m lucky that they turned out to be such wonderful companions. I’m glad I had the chance to share this beautiful place with them.

Back in Hanoi, I met up with one of the ladies I had met in Bangkok to enjoy as traditional a dinner as we could find in the Old Quarter. We had some buffalo! It was pretty good. OH and I found the most amazing dessert ever…che…it’s got coconut water, lotus seeds, tapioca, red beans, pandan jelly and ice. You can choose your own ingredients. It’s so yummy and refreshing in the heat of Vietnam. The next day I decided to take an excursion to Bai Tu Long Bay. Up next…