Trang An in Ninh Binh

My next stop was Ninh Binh, or rather Trang An, a small village near Ninh Binh. Here too, there are huge limestone cliffs. Only on land and not in the water. And rice fields, so the whole area looks pretty green. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't cooperating, but that didn't stop me from exploring the beautiful area. So I set off with a rain poncho and a bicycle. The brakes didn't work, as I found out when I had to brake for the first time... well, I had to use my feet to brake instead. I visited the temple complex Bich Dong Pagoda. There was a ceremony taking place with music and offerings, and a woman in colorful clothing was sitting in front of the temple, being adorned by two others. In the evening, back at my homestay, I went to bed early. I had a single room with a private bathroom, even though I had booked a bed in a 6-bed dormitory. Of course, I was happy about the upgrade. However, I was surprised when suddenly the door opened and the girl from the homestay came in with blankets. She said 'sorryyy my sister and I will sleep here' after I looked at her perplexed. I was just lying in bed watching Netflix. And she was already spreading a blanket on the floor and two pillows, on which the two of them then slept. Well, it seems the single room didn't work out after all: D

The next day, I visited the Mua Caves, although the highlight here was actually a rocky mountain rather than a cave. Steep stairs lead to two different peaks. So it's quite exhausting to climb up there. At the top of one peak, there's a huge dragon. If you want to go all the way to the top, you should be able to climb because there's only narrow rocks leading to the peak. In Germany, this would certainly not be allowed, too dangerous, someone could fall down. But in Asia, it's possible. Although I wasn't completely comfortable with the crowds of people trying to go up there. And it wasn't possible to take a photo alone with the dragon either. But the view of the rice fields, the river, and the cliffs from up there is priceless. Then you just have to accept that you're sharing the view with others.