Our second (and final) day in Ninh Binh was spent climbing the 500 stairs to the top of Hang Mua, an ancient cave temple thing with amazing views of the Tam Coc below. We didn't quite dress right - we didn't know it would be such a hike - but the views made it all worth it!
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On our final days in Vietnam, Catherine & I took the train from Hanoi to Ninh Binh. Ninh Binh was beautiful - and very wet. On our first day there, we took a boat ride through Tam Coc (translated to "three caves") in which we passed by and underneath giant limestone cliffs. Each of the three caves were carved into the limestone cliffs - the final cave we paddled through was so low we had to lay flat in the boat so as not to hit our heads! In the final hour of our slow, pleasant boat ride, a rainstorm began. By the time it ended, long after we'd returned to shore and back to our hotel, I realized my phone had been water damaged. And so commenced my three days without access to the internet!
Our trip to Ha Long Bay was one of the crazier ones of my life. We did an excursion to a private island through Vietnam Backpackers Hostel. They stick 60 20-somethings on an island and push alcohol on you at all times of day - you can only imagine the sorts of things we got into!
Unfortunately, I only took my phone (not my camera) and did not back up most of the photos that I took before my phone got water damaged. So, these few pictures are all I have to remember the crazy weekend in Ha Long Bay by. Kayaking, boating, swimming, drinking, dancing, and more on Castaways Island made this weekend one of the most fun of the trip! Day two was less uphill then day one as we made our way back around the mountain to Sapa. We walked through rice and corn fields, crossed a river, and swam in a waterfall. Trekking in Sapa, certainly, was unforgettable.
Our hike from Sapa town through the mountains and valleys nearby was the best hike I've ever been on. The scenery was beautiful (as you can see) and so different from hikes in the US or Europe. We passed through local villages, stood to the side as cows walked along the same narrow, steep paths, and dipped our feet in waterfalls. It was hot but it was so worth it. After a long day of hiking, we arrived at a homestay in a local village where we ate local food and spent the night. More pictures to come from our hike on the second day, through rice and corn fields!
In Vietnam, Catherine and I used the city of Hanoi as our home base to travel through the country's Northern region. We spent a few scattered days in the city in between trips outside of it - on our first day, we went to this awesome café and walked around the big lake in the city's center. It was photogenic for sure!
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Who Am I?I'm Rory; University of Virginia grad, writer, photographer, (wannabe) world traveler. What is EU and Me?A collection of photographs and musings from travels abroad. Archives
June 2020
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