Vietnam 1: Hoa Lu and Tam Coc

Hi Everyone! We just arrived back from Vietnam yesterday (at five in the morning) and now I've just finished my first day back at work. I want to write a lot about Vietnam because it was a really great trip and I'll start with a day trip we took to the old capital, Hoa Lu, and Tam Coc, a place about two hours from Hanoi with really amazing scenery.

Mark and I were the only two people signed up for the trip, so it was just us and our guide, Binh. We started with a two-hour car trip out of Hanoi (punctuated with a stop at a souvenir shop, as always). Then we went to a temple dedicated to the first king of Hanoi and then a temple maybe 200 yards away dedicated to the second king. It was a smart area to have the capitol of the country because it was all surrounded by amazing limestone cliffs so it was well-protected. They moved the capitol to Hanoi in 1010 so in three years there will be a huge celebration in Hanoi for the millenial anniversary of becoming the capitol (I plan to go back for that, who's with me?).

After that we walked up the road to get our bikes and while Binh and I were in the bathroom (or the 'happy room' as our guides liked to call it) Mark was accosted by village ladies trying to sell him things. The people in that area all studied French for talking to tourists, so we were monsieur and madame all day, which was interesting. The bike ride wasn't too challenging, even for me, and I learned to ride a bike less than a year ago, though we did get stuck in mud once and had to change our route a bit. It was rough going when we first got out of the mud but we passed some villagers who were cleaning motorbikes so they gave our feet, sandals, pedals, and wheels a power wash. After that we rode for maybe an hour and a half enjoying the amazing limestone cliffs, traditional villages (with children who asked for candy and one little girl who spat at us when we didn't give her anything), and wild animals (I nearly ran over chickens twice). Then we stopped to eat lunch and dry off and cool down a bit before a quick cycle to a dock where we got on a sampan rowed by two women (well, one rowed while the other stood and steered with a big stick). The boat ride was about an hour and a half and included a ride through a cave where the women stopped and tried to sell us crafts. Finally we had another short bike ride and then packed back into the car for Hanoi.

It was an exhausting day but really fun and a great way to get out of the city and see the countryside. The first picture is me and Binh on our bikes, the next one is the scenery on the bike ride, and the last one is from the boat ride.

Thanks for reading!
Cate