Nai-publish: 15.11.2022
The last stop of our guided tour took us to Ninh Binh. It quickly became apparent why it is called the dry Ha Long Bay.
We spent a very diverse time with Jennifer, whom we had already met on the boat. While sleep overcame me very early on the first evening, the other three girls stumbled upon some kind of bachelorette party and spontaneously joined in.
The next day included another diverse program of activities. In addition to a short walk, we took a picturesque boat tour through the river landscape and visited a temple. After lunch, we explored the surroundings by bike - this was the first time we were out in drizzling rain.
After that, we had to say goodbye to Jennifer. We strolled with our guide through a local market to buy some ingredients for dinner.
Just like the previous evening, we prepared our spring rolls ourselves - only this time fresh ones, not fried.
In the distance, we heard music and were encouraged to watch the women of the village dance. Before we knew it, we were right in the middle of the action. To our surprise, it turned out that this was just the warm-up for the upcoming volleyball training, and soon we were playing one match after another. A real challenge given the humidity here.
The next morning, we planned to visit the primate rescue center in Cuc Phuong National Park, which is sponsored by the Leipzig Zoo. In addition to the primates being prepared for release, we even saw 2 gibbons that had already taken the next step towards freedom in the outdoor enclosure.
After that, we had just enough time for a short walk through the lush jungle to visit an over 800-year-old tree.
To our great joy, on this day we also had the announced reunion with our driver Toan, who took us to the airport in Ha Noi. From here, we headed to the last stop of our vacation: Phu Quoc.