The Captains waiting patiently for their tourists to return - Trang An, Vietnam
27/09 - 9/10 - Vietnam
Vietnam! Alike to Malaysia, it was never exactly somewhere I intended, nor longed, to explore. How silly was I!? Anyway, it has definitely taken my breath away at times. Unfortunately, the weather hasn't always been fantastic, but the bonus has been that there aren't as many tourists; allowing us to be fairly flexible in our plans and bookings.
Let’s give some context, so... I had a very, very, long layover in Kuala Lumpur airport, which was mainly spent at Gate 11, meeting a new Chinese friend and planning a potential trip, closing my eyes for around 2 minutes, listening to lots of music (whilst also trying to save precious battery) to then finally get on my 6am flight for a measly 3 hours. I then got to Hanoi and did the usual: get a Sim Card, exchange a bit of money (never too much though because the exchange rate is terrible at the airport) all before meeting the trio at their hostel; which was smack bang in the center of Hanoi. I barely spent more than 6 hours there if i'm completely honest, as they were ecstatic to leave and I was also on-board with it; after living in the crazy city of Phnom Penh for 7 months! We booked a bus for later that day to a charming area outside of the city buzz called Ninh Bình.
Before the bus, we mooched around and got a few beers overlooking the river. It was a great way to relax into each others' company and merge our travel stories. That evening we took a minibus to a sleeper bus, which then waited at least an hour before finally departing, (waiting for what, I don’t know…) to then eventually get on with the 8 hour drive to NB. We arrived at the extremely quiet homestay (http://tranganmountainhouse.com/) around 9pm, which was surrounded by dark shadows that we could only imagine were copious mountains.
Trang An Mountain House on the first day -
Ninh Bình, Vietnam
On the first day there, we got some peds and did the usual; explored. The weather wasn't wonderful (as you can see from the image above) but it didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves. The trio are always cracking jokes and it definitely lightens the mood. It's extremely easy to allow your frame of mind to be affected by the weather, especially when it's possibly the only time you'll be in that particular place, but give it a day and it can end up being like this...
Trang An Mountain House on a sunny day, Ninh Bình, Vietnam
Lesson seven: surround yourself with people you can go out in the pissing rain for hours and still have endless fun...
Another thought from that first rainy day in NB! We stopped at a tiny traditional coffee shop, in the middle of some random town, and the family who owned it were so welcoming. We spoke with their son in English and in return they gave us some renowned Vietnamese coffee (oh the Vietnamese Coffee...) sunflower seeds, grapefruit and a fruit that we discovered was called 'toad'. The consistency was that of an apple, but not quite as sweet, and oddly eaten after dipping it in shrimp salt for added flavour? No judgement...
Our second day in Nimn Bình was probably one of my all-time favourites in Vietnam! The weather was faultless, with blue skies all around. We got the peds and drove around 7km to take a boat trip around the lakes and mountains in Trang An. It was so peaceful! We chose the shortest route around the mountains and caves, route 3 I believe? (Mainly because I wanted to get away from all of the other tourists!) This worked in our favour immensely. So many laughs, picturesque landscapes, caves and a fair bit of sunburn were shared. Vietnam is stunning and this day was one of those days that really took my breath away.
A Canadian, who was also staying at our homestay with us, joined our quad for the day. They were the perfect companion because they were experienced as a solo-traveller and never came across intrusive or annoying. We met a fellow Brit on the boats as well, also a solo-traveller, who told us of their run-in with a naughty monkey that bit their butt. Disclaimer: rabies was not detected after a quick dash to hospital, don’t risk not getting it checked, and pronto!
We all took the bikes, 6 of us now, to an area called Bich Dong; which was exactly how I imagined Vietnam to look. We parked up and were immediately amazed by the view; a small walkway over water that led to a large pagoda with only mountains and greenery surrounding it. The sun was slowly setting behind the archway and it was just heavenly. We walked through the curved structure and explored a temple that sat atop numerous stairs. We watched the sun as it dripped through the trees, highlighting the mass of mosquitoes, which reminded us to get the trusty deet out (which never bloody worked for me, but I advise getting any brand with at least 50% deet...)
Archway in Bich Dong, Vietnam
Following that, we took an incredibly spontaneous, and somewhat rushed, trip to a mountain. I actually had no real clue what we were doing at that moment, but I just drove the ped and followed the others. It turned out we had to walk up, what felt like a million, very precarious steps to what can only be described as my second breathtaking moment in Vietnam. (Turns out there were 500 steps, to be precise.)
The sunset, endorphins, unexpected scenery and warm breeze were all a perfect combination. Photos do not even do it justice, just go and see it for yourself, NOW!
(Maybe wait until COVID-19 has been contained and life can go somewhat back to normality...)
View of the Hang Mua Peak - Ninh Bình Province, Vietnam
Lesson number eight: expect nothing of an experience and it could just be one of the most magical moments of your life.
I can't even describe this view to you in words and this photo is just nothing compared to the real deal... everything was perfect. Amazing day. My heart is actually warm from the memory of it... can that happen or should I be worried?
#staytuned for more Vietnamese adventures with the trio next week!