Day 4 - Ninh Binh, Tam Coc

After the 2 days in Halong Bay, it would be absolutely fitting for us to wake up late and take a chill pill. However, our hotel (Hanoi Boutique Hotel) was so popular that they only had 1 room left for us and it was room 602. Sounds great, considering it is the only room on that floor and would mean absolute privacy. EXCEPT... the hotels in Hanoi, at least the smaller ones do not have lifts, which meant climbing up 6 floors after combing through the streets of Hanoi and coming back drenched in our perspiration! AND... the top floor room somehow traps heat so well from the blazing sun during the day that even through the night it felt like we were in a sauna. So needless to say, we hardly got any sleep and we out of the room by 7am and demanded a change of room! So being out of bed so early, I suggested that we head to this place, Ninh Binh that was recommended by other tourists during our Halong Bay trip. While having our breakfast, I browsed through the guide books and the tour pamphlets and wondered whether we should just book the tour at US$25 per person or just be gung-ho and get there on our own. LR took a look at the organised tour and noticed visits to temples which he was uninterested in and didn't want to go for it. So we decided not to go after breakfast and head for a morning market called Cho Hom market. But when we got there it was a wet market where the locals go get their meat and vegetables daily and there was nothing there for us! So at that moment, we decided to go to Ninh Binh on our own!! I didn't bring the guide book out and I had to rely solely on my memory about how to get to Ninh Binh.

Step 1: Take a taxi to Giap Bat

It was crazy! The scene looked so familiar like I've seen it on Amazing race where teams get to the local bus stations and are frantically and confusedly looking for the right bus to get to their destinations. There must have been a thousand buses there but thank God that the Vietnamese language uses the alphabet, so we could buy our tickets (42, 000 DONG per ticket, works out to be about S$3) from the official ticket counter and we very quickly ushered to the bus. The man ushering us was so impatient and was annoyed that we had to go use the washroom before we boarded the bus. We're talking about almost a 2 hour bus ride here, cut us some slack!

Step 2: Get the tickets and board the bus to Ninh Bin

The bus ride was really interesting. Along the way, the bus kept stopping to pick up passengers till it was full. There were all sorts of locals taking the bus and while we didn't manage to speak to any of them but observing the bus culture was pretty intriguing. There aren't any bus stops but somehow the locals just knew how to wait by somewhere along the road to board and somehow the bus also could just drop them off anywhere along the rood. So anyway, after 2 hours we finally reached a much quieter bus station in Ninh Binh, we then took a taxi to Tam Coc where the National park was.

Step 3: Take a taxi from Ninh Binh bus station to Tam Coc

Step 3: Lunch at this restaurant, and made both bad and good decisions.

The bad - the spring rolls and grilled pork were extremely salty.

The good - we rented umbrellas at 10,000 DONG and drank cold lotus tea to cool off.

Step 4: Buy tickets for park entry and boat services at the 'jetty'

Step 5: Get on the boats, we had a young girl and her brother paddling us through the clear and vegetated lake.

Step 6: Crouch low and to go through tiny and low bridges

Step 7: Secretly gloat over tourist without umbrellas and give yourself a pat on the back so such a fantastic decision to look unglam but remain shaded.

Step 8: Enjoy the beautiful scenery and help paddle!

Step 9: Watch your head as you enter the caves!

Step 10: Smile at the 'ugly'

The entire boat ride to the end of the 3 caves took 1 hour, but having read the travel books, I was warned about what to expect at the end of the last cave. You would be ambushed by ladies on boats selling drinks and snacks. When you refuse they convince you that the lady or guy paddling you is very tired and thirsty and would like you to buy them a drink. DO NOT!! Instead offer them your drink you brought with you. Reason is, the paddle boat rowers would take the drinks then sell them back at the ladies and half the price! It's all a conspiracy. Then along the way back, the paddlers would take out embroidered work to sell and photographs with ancient looking cameras pleading with you to smile and have your picture taken by them. I smiled but that was all they got :)