After our time in Hanoi, we spent two nights in Ninh Binh. While there we
- Biked to Chùa Bích Động
- Hiked to the top of Hang Múa
- Boated through caves in Tràng An, and
- Cooked a meal with our host
Chùa Bích Động
Our host at Della Luna arranged bikes for us. Our first afternoon in Ninh Binh we biked from our lodgings to Chùa Bích Động.
It was a fun mix of water, views, architecture, and cave.
Hang Múa
The next morning our host arranged a taxi for us to Hang Múa. We left before breakfast, climbed over 500 steps to the top, and enjoyed the view.
Tràng An
After breakfast and a breather, we got on our bikes again and headed to the Tràng An boat launch.
Along the way we stopped at Trang an Riverside Garden Restaurant for an excellent lunch.
The boat ride at Tràng An was a highlight for many of us. Being rowed along a scenic river in and out of caves was peaceful (and much preferable to the loud and exhaust belching boats we’ve been on in Thailand).
There were three routes to choose from. We picked Route 3 because it had the most caves. We were happy with our pick. We saw beautiful places and had the right amount of opportunities to get out of the boat and stretch our legs.
Chill Day
Our last day in Ninh Binh we took a chill day. Our only activity was a cooking class with our host. In the morning she took us to the market. The market was quite the experience. It was a little unnerving to see where our food was sourced from; the conditions were not American-style hygienic. On the flip side, all meats we purchased came from animals slaughtered in the last couple of hours. We all enjoyed helping to make lunch. (We also all enjoyed eating it).
In the evening we boarded the North South Railway to Huế. We enjoyed having our own little room for the journey.
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