Ninh Binh

We continued our journey to Ninh Binh by bus.

Fortunately, our sleeping arrangement for the next three nights was such a stroke of luck (only €6 per person per night!!), and we both felt very comfortable there, as Anna's cold was quite evident upon arrival. Therefore, we took the next few days to take care of her health and recover from our busy travel schedule. The owner of the homestay was super sweet, just like her little daughter with the nickname Pumpkin. A traveler from India drew a beautiful portrait of the little girl. There was a small garden in the courtyard with succulents and fruits like pomelos and star fruits. The owner spoke very little English but still wanted to interact with us. She communicated with us using a small translation device, and we were able to have interesting conversations. Among other things, she showed us how to peel and slice a pomelo and we got to taste it. She also regularly provided Anna with ginger tea and tissues.

On the first day, we slept in and took it slow. In the afternoon, we drove into the city of Ninh Bin on our scooter, had something to eat there, and then explored Tam Coc on the scooter for a while. There was a big wedding with a lot of karaoke singing taking place near our accommodation. We took a short walk there and were invited by the wedding party, which we politely declined.

While waiting at the bus station for the delayed bus, we struck up a conversation with Emilie's acquaintance Luke from the previous night bus. Amused, he told us that Emilie accidentally cuddled up to him while sleeping. However, she doesn't remember anything about it. Since Luke happened to be staying at the same hostel as us in Hoi An, we teamed up and even managed to get comfortable single sleeping spots on the bus, making the long journey more bearable.