Ninh Binh

[Ninh Binh 3days]

KIM
After Cat Ba, we (Minh, Henrik, Julia and I) decided to go to Ninh Binh, also known as the Ha Long Bay on land.
The bus ride this time was quite good and we arrived during lunch time in Ninh Binh at a beautiful homestay called mom's homestay with a pool and lovely plants. We spent the rest of the day doing some orga work and relaxed at a nice cafe with a beautiful view. We stayed there also during the whole evening/night because they had a bonfire. And of course I played some music and sang together with everyone at the fire place. We met nice people too and had a great and cosy time.
After the bonfire we went to a karaoke bus (see video) and partied with the people. That was so much fun and unforgettable 😂

On the second day, we rented a scooter to explore the region. Firstly, we went on a 3h boat tour through caves and mountains which was one of my visual highlights so far. During most of the time on the boat ride I made music inspired by the scenery and the vibe. Wasn't very successful regarding new content though but it felt lovely to play and soak in the energy of the fresh air and mountains. After that experience, we went to Bai Dinh Pagoda, a big Pagoda complex which took us 3h to fully see and explore. It was the biggest Pagoda complex back in the days and still many spiritual events take place there. Fortunately, there was an audio guide which helped us understand the architectural buildings and the history behind it all. I felt really connected to the place because of my connection to buddhist philosophy. And I was proud to recognize some elements that I have learned before about buddhism. It was interesting to see and experience spiritual materialism and recognize it's importance for people to develop faith in buddhism.
After the Pagoda, we went home, got dinner at a lovely restaurant that had delicious bánh mì (vietnamese baguette) and spent the rest of the day at the bonfire cafe again. There I met some musicians and we did a jam session, even wrote on a song that I started a few days ago. It's about fire and was inspired by sitting at bonfires ☺️ We went again to the party bus and danced 😁. Props do not go out to the DJ because there was none and the playlist consisted of peoples song requests that were skipped after the refrain.

The third day was a rest and chill day, we did some work and music at the nice bonfire cafe, connected with people and played wizard, a card game. In the evening we took the bus to Phong Nha.

All on all, I really enjoyed our stay in Ninh Binh although the weather was quite rainy. We met lovely people (some we also met in Cat Ba), had good food, saw beautiful places and stayed healthy (no accidents yay)
One thing that I learned at this stop is that bonfires are magical, they connect, nurture and can be very meditative. At the same time fire can be destructive and intimidating.

Many hugs and kisses, yours,
KimEn savoir plus