And once again by bike^^ (Day 95 of the world trip)

08.12.2019

Yesterday evening we watched football together with our host (semifinal!). Vietnam won 4-0 and is in the finals. Yay! You could hear the neighbors cheering for every goal - football is really big here^^

After another restful night (can we please take the bed, pillows, and blanket with us and keep them:D), I had delicious banana pancakes again and Jonas chose toast and eggs for breakfast. Since we praised the breakfast yesterday, our host took a photo of it, one only of the food and then also with us as happy and satisfied guests. If I had known that, I would have at least brushed my hair:D:D:D Oh well:p

Today we planned to go to Eco-Park, mainly for the Bird Valley. However, the best time to observe the birds is in the late afternoon when they return to their nests, so we visited something else in the morning.

We had the option of Hoa Lu and Am Tien, which are located next to each other and about 8 km away. That meant we got back on Amadeus and Sabrina (as I later called them). As soon as we got on, certain body parts reminded us that we cycled over 30 km yesterday as otherwise untrained cyclists;):D:D

However, the ride felt super quick and easy (after I initially cycled too slowly for Jonas' taste and we discussed it gently^^). We initially decided on Am Tien, which is visited because there is a lake completely surrounded by tall rocks there (which I believe is man-made:D). There is also a cave up in the rocks and, of course, a temple.

The old entrance to this attraction is a magnificent gate that looks a bit like it could be part of the Great Wall of China (although I have never seen it, but that's how I imagine it^^).

Shortly before a sign indicating Am Tien, there was a right turn along a dirt road. We took the road and eventually arrived at the aforementioned gate. The stairs leading up to it looked a bit unused, with grass growing everywhere, and the gate was also locked. Hmm... If you looked through the gap between the doors, you could see the lake. So we were on the wrong side:D:D

As we were about to continue, three Englishmen came towards us, who also wanted to go to Am Tien. We told them about our observations, but they still wanted to see it for themselves^^ Jonas and I rode back to the road and about 200m later, an eager gentleman waved us over (and blew a whistle).

Similar to yesterday at lunchtime, he had a laminated menu in his hand. On the back was a hand-drawn map showing Am Tien and Hoa Lu (both of which were already in sight^^). He tried to persuade us to park our bikes at his small cafe and stall (rice hats and other souvenirs).

Jonas and I almost knew that it was a scam, but after I asked multiple times "free parking?", the man gave in and let us park for free. Before that, he mentioned to Jonas that we could eat at his cafe after sightseeing. Yaa:D:D

Just then, the three Englishmen arrived on their bikes. While the man took care of his new "customers," Jonas and I simply went to the entrance of Am Tien. By the way, we met the Englishmen again later, and when asked, they told us that they actually had to pay for parking:D Well, we were lucky^^

As it turned out, now that the gate was closed, there were two new entrances to the lake - in the form of huge tunnels that you would have expected on an important road:O Oh my... The lake itself was actually quite pretty (at least I thought so^^), and some couples also thought so. They rode small boats on the lake to take wedding photos. There were even carriages with a pumpkin shape, and a little chest at the back<3

Jonas and I first went up to the cave, which, as always here in Vietnam, was quite unspectacular:p It was basically just a small room with stairs leading to a water-filled room. Well, at least we could take a few photos from the terrace above of all the couples who liked to pose on the stairs leading up to the cave. Not bad^^

Afterwards, we walked around the lake again and were greeted by all the Vietnamese people there with "Hello". We replied with "hello" in Vietnamese, but then people laughed, so maybe we pronounce it completely wrong:D:D

Finally, we went up to the gate again, this time from the inside, and then it was time to go back to the bikes. As expected, the man waved us goodbye again and basically commanded us to buy something. Clever as we were, we bought something that we always need - a bottle of water:D:D:D He was a bit disappointed and wanted to sell us coffee and a rice hat, but no chance^^

In the minutes before, we spontaneously decided against Hoa Lu. It is the former capital of Vietnam from the 11th century or so, but today, nothing remains of all those buildings:D:D The bridge, the gate, and a few temples were rebuilt, but otherwise, the area is just empty. We didn't want to pay admission for that;-)

However, since we were still in the mood for cycling a bit, we took a slight detour on the way back. Funny enough, we then ended up at the exit/second entrance of Hoa Lu. Of course, the lady at the ticket office said something to us, and we were already considering turning back, but when we told her that we just wanted to use the road, she let us through:D

The funny thing is, we were able to drive through the exact same area for free, for which you have to pay on the other side:D:D

So, as expected, Hoa Lu was a disappointment. You can hardly see anything except grass and buildings that have nothing to do with the old Hoa Lu. Well, at least we got to see it a bit^^

Back at the homestay, on request, we had a small warm lunch, rested for half an hour, and then went in the other direction for 8 km - towards Bird Valley:)

We already knew the first part of the way there from the first day:) Past the ATM (<33), we rode to the small town of Tam Choc, which also belongs to Ninh Binh but is still quite close to the actual sights here. This means that Tam Choc is THE spot where almost all tourists have their accommodation, and accordingly, the street scene is full of shops, cafes, and accommodations.

I'm so glad we don't have accommodation there:O It's quite crowded and for such a small town, it's mega loud and bustling^^ Luckily, we only rode through the main street of the town and then returned to a quieter area.

On one side, there was a pond/lake, and on the other side, a 20cm high curb made of red paving stones had been erected, with tropical plants and flowers planted in small rectangles. All for the tourists, apparently;) The reason the curb is so high is probably to prevent scooters from easily driving up, which is a nice change for pedestrians in Vietnam:p:D

The last part of the way led along a smaller road with some potholes, past residential buildings, and lots of water and rocks. We stopped at a spot for a few photos because apparently bungalows with a view of the river had been built there, but they were now in disrepair. Maybe they had expected more from tourism?

Finally, we reached the park and after a quick stop to buy the ticket, we were allowed to enter with our bikes because the road continues to the actual park entrance. However, to our frustration, this road goes over a hill. We did our best, but eventually, we both had to get off the bikes - bikes without gears have their limits when it comes to hills. But I was glad that Jonas didn't get his (over?)ambition like in Chiang Mai:p:D:D

I had to push the bike down the hill because one of my brakes didn't work, and the incline was too steep to just roll down (like Jonas did... that crazy guy!^^ We don't have helmets :O).

With a few minutes of delay, I joined Jonas at the entrance, where we cleverly chained our bikes to a tree to avoid any parking fees^^

The park itself was actually quite nice. It is very touristy with trees trimmed in the shape of umbrellas as an alley to the entrance, a huge Christmas tree with gifts, and loud, modern cover versions of Christmas songs playing from the speakers. Someone clearly went all out^^

Accompanied by songs like "Last Christmas" in the rock version, we took a shortcut through the Mermaid Cave. Yes, we actually had enough of caves, but it was on the way, and when we went in, I was glad we did it. Inside, there were lights in different colors and a bamboo path leading through the water-filled cave - it's 300 meters long! :O

The funny thing about the cave was that you had to stoop almost the entire time, which looked quite silly:p Some people sat down in between because it was straining their backs or legs^^ I only bumped my head once - at least! Since the path consists of bamboo TUBES, some of which were a bit loose, you sometimes got the "roller coaster effect" and slid a bit.

For this little joke, the Mermaid Cave (which has a mermaid statue in the middle) is somehow worth it^^

But the highlight was the viewpoint to observe the birds in the Bird Valley. We had to walk about 10 minutes after the cave along a very nice path around the lake to reach the viewpoint. Prime time there is around 5:30 pm. However, since it gets dark around that time and our bikes don't have lights, we arrived a bit earlier to be able to return in daylight;)

From the shore below, you could already see some birds (probably herons) sitting in the trees, but a few steps higher on a terrace, the view was really good!!

I believe that even our camera with the limited zoom could capture it a bit, but if not - trust us, it looked amazing! :D Small flocks kept flying in and settling in one of the trees on the lake and yeah. Considering that there is a viewpoint with people quite close by and boats that row up to the spots, there were a lot of birds there!!! :O

Jonas and I would have liked to stay longer to watch the spectacle, but after about 20 minutes, we turned around because it was 4 pm and we still had the return trip ahead of us...

As we walked back to the exit, and especially when we started cycling again (or pushing the bikes up the hill and then getting back on:p), people and even a tour bus kept coming towards us. Maybe there were even more birds to see than before, but Jonas and I "regret" nothing since we were able to escape the crowds a bit by arriving early;)

The bike ride back was quite quick. Jonas had knee pain because his saddle is too low, and I was glad when we finally returned to the hostel^^ Biking is definitely more fun than I remembered, but cycling such "long" distances for two days in a row is still somewhat unusual:D:D

We'll have dinner soon (<33) and tomorrow we're already leaving:( In the evening, we will continue by bus to Hue (about a 12-hour drive...) and during the day, we'll probably research and plan everything for our stay there^^

It's actually a shame that we're moving on tomorrow. I have to say, with this perfect accommodation and the freedom to just walk or cycle along here, this is definitely one of my new favorite places on our trip<3

Let's see what happens next!!:)