Day 73: Ninh Binh

We started off the day by renting mopeds so we could quickly see the city. We headed straight to Tam Coc National Park. Tam Coc is basically Ha Long Bay on land with a river running through it. I personally think that it was more beautiful than the Bay. We got into a boat and had a lady row us up and down the river. Crazy enough, she rowed us with her feet and was as cheerful as could be. The ride was so unreal, the river ran under these massive rocks and it was hard to actually believe that this was really happening. The beginning of our trip was really foggy with light rain, which proved hard to get good clear photos; however, the view and experience was enough for me.

We eventually made the turn around and headed back to the docking area under clear skies. Once we got back to land, we headed off on our mopeds to a close by mountain the claims to have a great view of the Tam Coc National Park. The drive there had us surrounded by rice fields and mountains in the distance.

The hike up the mountain was steep, but worth it. We were able to see so much of the surrounding area. There was a large dragon at the top of the mountain that stretched along its peak. I climb up there and on another ledge and was able to get an amazing view.

After our day of adventures, we ate our final meal with Crystal. She has been a great travel partner and has given us a different perspective on life. She is headed off tomorrow morning to meet up with her boyfriend in northern Vietnam while we are headed tonight for a sleeper train south to Dong Hoi.

The sleeper train was absolutely miserable. Since we booked last minute, we had seats instead of beds. Trying to sleep while being rocked around in a seat on a train is not idealist all.