Buddhamania

Day 2 at Greenland Hostel in Ninh Binh. Again, like every day so far, I got up at six o'clock. Somehow it always turns out that way. Travelers are early birds. It's different when you 'travel' instead of 'vacationing' in one place...

The whole morning I enjoyed the hobbit-like landscape around Ninh Binh and Tam Coc from a rowing boat with a Vietnamese family. We sailed through caves that were up to 250m long, some of which were so shallow that we had to crouch in the boat. I'm more of a giant here. After each cave.... I think there were nine... my heart skipped a beat because what I saw there was almost like a forgotten piece of earth. Unfortunately, my smartphone camera can't capture it accurately.

In the afternoon, I did some cultural activities: visiting Bai Dinh pagoda and temple complex. Very surreal. A huge complex full of pagodas and park-like green areas, nestled in a kind of dilapidated airport site with mega-ugly tin shacks. The contrast couldn't be greater. Of course, it wasn't a former airport. I only mention it because the roads around Ninh Binh and on the way to Bai Dinh are sooooo wide that it feels like planes could land there. Maybe a secret air base of the socialist brothers, disguised as a temple complex???

Speaking of Buddha: I think I've seen more than enough Buddha statues for the rest of my hopefully long life. Rumor has it that there are over 1,000 here... which I think is a significant understatement. The Vietnamese are just humble.

P.S.: At dinner with his family, I asked Long (= Alex) again about the whereabouts of the little rodent. He supposedly didn't understand me... yesterday his English was much better 😳😳😳.