Ninh Binh

The inland Halong Bay
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After saying goodbye to the girls I decided to go on a little road trip to explore the countryside. A great decision, as Ninh Binh became the highlight of my time in Vietnam. The train journeys to and from Ninh Binh were adventures by themselves.  Sitting on a wooden bench surrounded by Vietnamese men trying their hardest to speak to you in very broken English for 3 hours is an experience!

Over my short time in Ninh Binh I hired a motorbike (with driver...don't panic mum!) and explored the countryside.  My driver took me to Cuc Phong National Park and the stunning Tam Coc.

We went through the caves
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Cuc Phong is the perfect place for a forest trek as well as being the home of the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre.  Several people I had met had been to the primate centre and had told me it was worth a visit.  The centre has around 14 species of gibbons and langurs alongside some smaller nocturnal primates.  One of the main aims of the centre is to re-introduce the primates back into their natural habitats and they have a huge semi-wild enclosure where I saw langurs swinging in the trees.  It was great to see the efforts to improve the wellbeing of Vietnam's primates.  I decided to be a big brave girl and trek the 8km walk to the massive 1000 year-old Big Tree all by myself!  Hiring a guide was far too much money so off I went to explore.  I think I walked slightly faster than I would normally as being all alone in the middle of a National Park in Vietnam was slightly scary! The forest was buzzing with wildlife; spiders hanging down into the middle of the footpath, huge trails of marching ants, birds sounding like telephones and monkeys resting in the trees.  Amazing!

Me and my bug!
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I also visited Tam Coc (the inland Halong Bay in the rice paddies) and took a boat ride through the limestone karsts.  I travelled through the caves on a very peaceful and scenic trip.  After Tam Coc I went to the ancient citadel of Hoa Lu and had a very strange encounter with an old man...he sniffed my hand and face.  Lets just say I was unnerved and made a very quick exit!

Although the places I visited were perfect the real highlight was the travelling.  My motorbike driver was excellent and took me along the back roads so I could experience the "real" Vietnam.  I saw children bathing in the rivers, women washing and cooking on the banks and small boys trying their hardest to herd the water buffalos along the path.  The children were so excited to see me (I don't think many tourists travel the route) they would shout out the little English they knew as I whizzed past on the bike.  I lost my voice for a few days due to the combination of shouting back and the wind.  A small price to pay for such an awesome experience.

Inside was a scary old man...he smelt my face!! slightly unnerving!
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We drove alongside the farming families taking in their crops from the rice paddies.  The rice and hay was laid out on the road for drying and we had to weave in and out.  At one stage the road came to an abrupt end (thank god I was not driving - I was glad to not be in control!) and we ended up driving through the fields to find a new route.  It was extremely bumpy and it took several days for my bottom to recover!

Ninh Binh was en excellent end of my time in Vietnam.  I fell in love with the country and people, had some memorable experiences and made friends for life...perfect!