Around Ninh Binh

Friday (Day 15). The minivan to Ninh Binh is working well. The sun is also shining. Not much going on at the homestay, but there is a pool. On the booking sites, you are manipulated too. Today, already X people have booked this accommodation, nonsense. And one should not choose accommodations that offer the biggest discounts; you can be sure there will be no one there. The owner offers me tea and Bong tobacco, which is quite strong stuff. We communicate via translation app; he has a brother in Berlin. Next door, there is a party all day long; a school is celebrating its 50th anniversary with music, dance, and fireworks. The city center of Ninh Binh is manageable and can be quickly explored. Tourists have only been allowed here for about 5 years. I walk around a bit. The small promenade is nicely done, with a beautifully lit temple on the lake.

The next day, I rent a bicycle, again with no gears. There is a lot of sun, so I apply sunscreen and wear protective gear, even if it's not very stylish. I must say, rain has its benefits too. No sunscreen, less dust and exhaust, less sweating. I cycle along a small river towards the first capital of Vietnam, Hua Lo. Along the way, there are dozens of homestays and restaurants; everyone here is opening one. Every available space is used to dry rice. This is definitely state-sponsored. Hardly any guests are seen anywhere. Hua Lo is over 1000 years old. Calling it a city is an exaggeration; there are two temples from the 17th century, a few excavations, and a pagoda on a mountain, with endless steps. France showed its best side again here and dropped a few bombs. The story of the first city is a quick one. One of the 13 warlords defeated the others and expelled the Chinese after 1000 years. As a reward, he became king, and the other warlords were branded as traitors. Like everywhere else in the world: winners write history. There is also a cemetery that is flooded. It seems to be normal; all graves are raised and accessible by boat.

The second stop is the Bich-Đông-Pagoda, built in a cave. It's okay. Good thing I took the bike. The temple closes at 4:30 PM, and many buses with tourists are waiting to be processed. I don’t know where they all spend the night; probably day trips from Hanoi. I rode 30 km in total on my bike. Google Maps is only conditionally recommended. It sends you over paths through rice fields that are hardly suitable. Next to my homestay is a local market. I could use a pair of shoes but find nothing suitable.

Sunday, I booked a tour; we gather everyone, many Italians. Okay, then Sicilians, if you insist. First, we go to a lake, Trang An. We are split into small rowboats and spend 2 hours on the lake and through long caves (duck your head). You see several hundred of these boats, and 99% of the people doing this work are women. These karst formations are very interesting and quite different from the limestone in Jena. It took hundreds of millions of years for the shell limestone to settle, then came earth movements and erosion, which took another 300 million years. Fascinating. For lunch, we have goat, which is a local specialty here. A bit tough. After that, we head to the Bai-Dinh-Pagoda, relatively new and full of superlatives. 10,000 small Buddha statues and 500 life-sized statues from all over the Buddhist world depicting important scholars. It’s odd to see communist symbols everywhere. There's a giant tower there, but smaller than the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Religion has to take a back seat. Two huge temples with massive Buddha statues, one more Vietnamese, one more Indian with many arms and heads. The next stop is the Mua Cave. Turns out, it’s not a cave but a mountain, with more steps again, way too many people. Last stop, although not booked: once more Hu Lo, the first capital. It’s late, and we are quickly processed. For the first time, I’m asked for a tip. It’s not usual here; you always receive the right change. I also switched hostels, but it was unnecessary; it was empty there as well. On Lyly's recommendation, I had something traditional to eat. We actually wanted to meet, but it didn’t work out. Overall, Ninh Binh is overrated.