I've Made it to the North!

I arrived in Ninh Binh this morning at 6am. I took one of the extra comfy sleeper buses so as to not recreate my last experience on an overnight bus. Although nothing like having a nice, solid bed to sleep in, I did catch a few hours of good, dream producing sleep. Having no plan for once I arrived, I thanked my lucky stars that the bus was running late, as I can't imagine trying to find a hotel at 4 in the morning. I was dropped at a nice little guest house that offers great rooms (aka hot water, TV, and a clean bed) and after pounding on the locked door for a few minutes, the owner managed to stumble down the stairs to let me in. Oops, sorry for waking you up. A hot shower, coffee, and a fantastic breakfast later, I was ready to see what Ninh Binh had to offer. I decided to visit two of the most popular local attractions, Tam Coc and Hoa Lu, two places of ancient historical significance for Vietnam.

Tam Coc means three caves; and the highlight of this excursion was the boat ride up the little Ngo Dong River through the eponymous three caves. This area is known as the Halong Bay of the Interior, as its limestone towers are similar to those found in the picturesque Halong Bay. Being that its the middle of winter, the weather was foggy and drizzly which added a sense of mystery and illusion to the great landscape. The 2 hour journey on the Ngo Dong river was peaceful, relaxing, and riddled with fantastic panoramas, however the persistence of my guide in trying to sell me a table cloth was annoying!

Next stop was Hoa Lu, the capital of Vietnam from 968 to 1010 AD. Much of this former capital has been destroyed, however there are a series of courtyards, gates, and buildings which are interesting to explore. Children seemed to pop out of dark corners and from behind bushes in a valiant attempt to sell you postcards of Vietnam. Away from the main attraction I saw a set a stairs leading up one of the limestone mountains. In search of a great view, I headed up. A little boy was quickly on my heels, asking in broken English the same questions everyone seems to ask around here. Where you from? What your name? You have baby? He proceeded to point out where the best photos could be taken, introduced me to his grandmother praying at the temple half way up the small mountain, and to his baby sister. She hungry, she hungry. His puppy dog eyes begging up at me. Money, money. Here we go.

Despite my lack of contribution to the feed the baby fund, the little boy continued to urge me higher and higher. As we got towards the top, the landscape changed dramatically and the soft dirt path turned into razor sharp rock which looked capable of slicing any body unfortunate enough to come into direct contact with it. The little boy bounded up the rocks hopping precociously over the ankle breaking terrain. I followed, not wanting to be out done by a 10 year old. I started getting more and more nervous, no scared is more accurate, as we got higher. How in the world am I going to get down this? What have I gotten myself into? But I kept going, lifting my head up from time to time to take in the specularity of it all. I hope it comes through in the photos I took. It was like nothing I've ever seen. It was the first time in Asia that I really felt like I was someplace special, someplace extraordinary.

Well, I'm pleased to say that I made it down that daunting hill, mountain, whatever you want to call it. No twisted ankles or torn pants, but funny red marks dot my palms where I held onto the sharp rocks for balance. A little consolation prize I suppose. Tomorrow I'm headed to Halong Bay...keep your fingers crossed for good weather!