Day 84 – Ninh Bin, Vietnam – 12:39 PM

After reading the title of this post “Cold & Wet in Tam Coc”, I am sure you can guess the weather I have had to endure since I arrived Sunday morning.  I must admit the conditions here are not as severe as those many of you dealt with over the recent days.  But, my goal for this round-the-world adventure was to chase summer around the world and it surely has not felt like summer in the Tam Coc/Ninh Binh region.

Early Sunday morning I departed my hostel in Hanoi and hailed a taxi to Giap Bat Bus Station, approximately four miles to the south.  My intended destination was Tam Coc, a small town outside of Ninh Binh, a larger city and the home to bus and train stations.  As I stepped from my taxi at Giap Bat, a man approached and aggressively said “Ninh Binh, Ninh Binh?”.  I realized the receptionist at my hostel informed the taxi driver of my final destination who in turn informed the man that approached me as I stepped onto the curb at Giap Bat.  I nodded yes to his hawkish question.  He motioned for me to follow.

I have read in numerous travel books that you should not follow someone to a ticket window because they will most likely lead you to their acquaintances window rather than to the least expensive option.  I simply ignored his advances and proceeded into the station.  I walked up the aisle, reading the boards of bus routes looking for a Hanoi to Ninh Binh option.  The first few did not and again I heard this mystery man waving me over to a ticket window further down the aisle.  “Ninh Binh, Ninh Binh!” he exclaimed pointing to the window.  The board supported his claim and I obliged and stepped forward.  I received a ticket and ensured the details were correct before I handed over the equivalent to $7.38 USD.  I asked where to meet the bus and the ticket salesman pointed to a nearby door.

The mystery man again motioned for me to follow him and once again I obliged.  We proceeded through the door and then through an exterior door into a large parking lot filled with buses and locals.  The rain had increased by this point and I struggled to keep my ticket dry.  A bus was pulling out of its parking spot and the man yelled in my direction “Ninh Binh, Ninh Binh!!” while pointing to the departing bus.  We ran to the bus and I boarded after ensuring with the driver that it was headed to Ninh Binh.  I took a seat and expected to continue out of the parking lot.  One hour later we did just that.  I remember reading that many local buses will not leave the station until they are near capacity and will fill empty seats with eager passengers they see during the drive.  The mystery man, who eagerly approached me as I stepped from the cab, boarded the bus just prior to our departure.  I was now certain he worked for the bus company that I purchased a ticket from.

Approximately three hours later we pulled into the Ninh Binh bus station.  I grabbed my bags and exited the bus.  My next task was to hail a taxi for the short ride to Tam Coc.  The Australian couple I met in Mai Chau recommended I stay in Tam Coc, rather than the more urban Ninh Binh.  The two areas are close enough to visit by bicycle or motorbike but Tam Coc is a bit quieter.  I proceeded through the Ninh Binh Bus station and glanced to my right after exiting.  There ahead I saw a blue cab and soon after was on route to Tam Coc, only ten minutes away.  The rain that followed me from Hanoi never ebbed and it bounced off my jacket as I stepped from the taxi and proceeded down the main street in Tam Coc.  I did not book an accommodation prior to arriving but received a recommendation from a New Yorker I met in Hanoi.  He recently traveled through Tam Coc heading north and suggested a hotel not far from the Tam Coc waterfront.  I walked inside and settled on a private room for two nights with breakfast and dinner included for $13.43 USD.  I walked up a flight of stairs and into my room.  I was struck by the cool temperature of the room and began a failed search for a heater.

After unpacking a couple of items, I zipped up my rain jacket and left in search of lunch.  I walked up the short main street until the storefronts ended and then doubled back.  I meandered into a small restaurant across the street from my accommodation.  I ordered noodle soup with beef and a small side of steamed rice.  The warm broth did wonders for my chilled bones and the beef filled my stomach.  After lunch, I proceeded to the waterfront to take in the movement of small boats on the Ngo Dong River.  I found lines of tourists on day trips to Tam Coc eager to board small row boats.  A local rower piloted the boat up the Ngo Dong River taking their passengers through a number of small villages.  After a few minutes the rain increased significantly and I decided to fall back to my dry, if not warm, hotel room.  As the rain fell in buckets, I pulled out my guide book to research points of interest in and around Ninh Binh and Tam Coc.  My plan was to rent a motorbike the following day and explore the area.

After dinner, I unpacked everything I carry in my two packs.  I photographed the contents after spreading them over the bed.  My goal was to give you an idea of what I have lugged around since I left New England back in November.  The photographs and itemized list of items can be found here.  As the weeks and months have progressed, I have become quite adept at packing everything back in its appropriate place.  No longer do I unzip random pockets frantically searching for an item.  I know where everything can be found in a moments notice.  I drifted off to sleep hoping the rain would stop by morning and the two blankets covering me held in enough body heat to keep me warm.

I woke Monday morning to the sound of rain splattering against the windows in my room.  I threw the covers off and the chill hit me.  I quickly realized the temperatures had not increased during the night.  My hope to rent a motorbike and explore the area slowly faded as the rain continued.  Even if it stopped, riding conditions would not be particularly safe.  After a breakfast consisting of two fried eggs and homemade bread, I sat down to decide on a mode of transport to Hue, my next destination in Vietnam.  The two options were buses and trains.  I discovered that an overnight, sleeper train leaves Ninh Binh nightly at 9:45 PM and arrives in Hue at 8:30 AM the following morning.  As the rain began to subside, I decided to rent a bicycle and ride to the Ninh Binh train station to purchase an overnight train ticket for Tuesday night.

As I peddled from Tam Coc to Ninh Binh, I began to lose feeling in my hands from the low temperatures.  I pulled into the train station and locked my bicycle to a nearby light pole.  Inside I walked and discovered the ticket attendant was on lunch break for another twenty minutes.  I took a seat and awaited her return.  When she took her place behind a glass window, I stepped forward and managed to convey my intention to purchase a ticket for the following night.  She understood and minutes later I walked out with one ticket in hand.  I unlocked my bicycle and peddled back to Tam Coc.  I was eager for lunch and an afternoon visit by bicycle to Bich Dong Pagoda.

Bich Dong Pagoda, originally built in 1428, rests on the side of Ngu Nhac Mountain and consists of three structures.  These structures, Ha, Trung, and Thuong, lie at different elevations and are easily accessible on foot.  After visiting Thuong, I ascended a couple hundred feet further up Ngu Nhac Mountain.  The cloud covered skies did not diminish the amazing views that unfolded before me.  Rice paddies and green, lush valleys caught my attention and I pulled out my camera to capture their beauty.

I arrived back in Tam Coc shortly after 5 PM.  I parked my bicycle, threw the owner of my hotel a wave and climbed the stairwell to my room.  I stepped inside, dropped my pack and sat on my bed trying to warm up.  I thought back to the world map I glanced upon days earlier.  I noticed that Hanoi, Vietnam and Honolulu, Hawaii both lie on the same latitude.  However, the temperatures I feel in Vietnam are far from what I felt in Hawaii months ago.  I pulled on my shoes and threw on my North Face jacket.  It was time for dinner and I descended to the restaurant attached to my hotel.  I ordered a large plate of fried rice with chicken along with a bowl of vegetable soup.  My appetite was quenched and the hot cup of coffee warmed both my cold hands and body temperature.  Following dinner, I returned to my room and gathered my belongings for my departure the following morning.  Before drifting off to sleep I looked at todays weather forecast.  There was a 90 percent chance of rain and temperatures were forecasted to increase only a few degrees.

I awoke this morning and the forecast proved correct.  Sheets of rain fell and have yet to subside.  After an early morning breakfast, I grabbed my two bags and checked out.  There are few, if any, indoor attractions in Ninh Binh or Tam Coc.  As a result, I hailed a cab and was dropped off at the Ninh Binh Train station nearly ten hours prior to my departure.  My plan was to find a quiet section of the station, charge my electronics and maybe take a nap.  That prospect quickly faded when I entered and realized the temperature within the station was the same as that outside.  I was also unable to find plugs along the wall to charge my phone, computer or camera batteries.  I took a seat and contemplated how to endure the hours until my train departed.

Twenty minutes later, in walked two fellow backpackers and we began chatting.  We agreed that the weather conditions limited the activities available to visitors of the area.  I informed them of my departure time and they suggested I walk across the street to the local hotel and try to book an inexpensive room for a couple of hours.  I was shocked I had not thought of that.  I graciously thanked them for the suggestion and gathered my bags.  I walked out of the train station and into the Viet Nhat Hotel.  I stepped to the counter and ran my situation by the receptionist.  He quoted a price and I tried to haggle him into a less expensive fare.  He would not budge and I agreed.  Although expensive for this local area, there are times when you cannot put a price on your well being.  I do not know how long I would have been able to endure the cold conditions inside the Ninh Binh Train station.  I am currently in my hotel room and while it is not as warm as I hoped, it is better than a cold, plastic train station seat.  My electronics are charged and I am eager to board my sleeper train later tonight.