Middle-aged flash packers

The temperature has warmed up considerably today. I still took my down jacket out with me though (didn’t need it) and forgot my sunglasses(did need them). 

We were a bit tardy getting ready today as we’d had such a good day yesterday, we were  worried about doing a similar thing  at Trang An and it would be an anticlimax. Like Tam Coc, Trang An is a UNESCO site because of the karst scenery. 

All the reviews I read about Trang An gave me the impression it was less busy than Tam Coc but more organised. It was definitely more organised but much busier. A huge complex has been built including an underground tunnel which links the arrival area with the boating area. This means people are transported in an orderly fashion and put on the boats without the chaos we found at Tam Coc. 

Loads of tour groups arrived as we did and my heart sank, thinking this was going to be a waste of time with far too many boats on the river.

There is a strict rule of 4 people to a boat. (presumably to help limit congestion). Great idea logistically but as most people were in large groups we were left feeling  like the last kids to be picked for the sports team. However, the two Korean men who were separated from their pals were true gents and very gracious about it. 

We chose river route number 1, the longest at 3 hours with the most caves. This was recommended in a Tripadvisor review and turned out to be a great shout as most people did the shortest route and we basically had the river to ourselves much of the time.

We went through 9 caves. The lady rowing the boat did an excellent job of negotiating the caves as some of them were quite narrow. She was an elderly lady and I take my hat off to her being able to row 4 people (3 of them quite weighty) for 3 hours. No leg rowing for her either. Apparently the Vietnamese government do not like the “indignity” of ladies rowing with their legs open so are discouraging it. Confucius’s wife – not bothered.

It was a beautiful trip. Trang An is more dramatic than Tam Coc and the river is cleaner and more tranquil. I saw a kingfisher and loads of grebes. I’d recommend doing the Tam Coc boat ride as well, they’re very different experiences.

Our Korean friends were good company. One of them (Kim) spoke good English as well as Vietnamese. We saw some young people playing cards on their boat, oblivious to their surroundings, and handing over money. He explained that they were Chinese and they gamble all the time! 

3 hours passed quickly and it wasn’t long before we were back ashore, feeling hungry.

After a bowl of pho in Tam Coc, we decided not to attempt going to the bear sanctuary which was our afternoon plan. It’s out in the sticks and it just seemed too complicated to get a taxi, either ask them to wait,  or try and get another one to take us back to our hotel. Grab works brilliantly in built up areas but not so well in the countryside. Plus many reviews said they didn’t actually see the bears which would have been very disappointing after making such an effort to get there.

Instead we went for a leg and foot massage which was very nice although I did feel our young ladies minds were elsewhere. “She who doesn’t work hard at job finds self unemployed”. Maybe they’re not Buddhist.

We decided to eat at the hotel and had very good meal. The mushrooms and vegetables were particularly delicious although if you don’t like the  texture of mushrooms, you’d hate these. Proper slimy but tasty.

And that is the end of our foray into Ninh Binh. 

Next Cat Ba, an island near Halong Bay. Weather not looking great but at least a bit warmer than our first days in North Vietnam. 

And we have booked an exciting hotel that promises a free onsen every night. I looked up the details and the onsen takes up to 230 people – the mind boggles.