Hang Mua & Tam Coc

We both switched to rolls with jam for breakfast as pancakes are not great and suspect the fruit might be upsetting our tummies slightly.
We headed back to Hang Mua and wandered round the lotus flower ponds then climbed to the top again. Much hotter today! At the top of one side was a dragon amongst precarious rocks which people were climbing, was a bit overcrowded and hard to get a footing so came back down. The other side was a temple and one girl had climbed onto the side of the temple whilst her friend took a zillion photos with just sheer rocks below her. We waited a while for them to finish and then Anna started loudly commenting they should hurry up and was met with some choice swear words. Instagrammers are lovely people!
We went to the caves which weren't very impressive and wqnder d around the other bits. It's a very chilled, tranquil place, done a bit like Disney with lots to see. We stopped for egg coffee and spring rolls for Anna and a cheese croissant and coke for me in an attempt to soothe my stomach. Seemed to work. On our way back we had a coconut and sugar cane juice (£1 for both). Yum! Vietnamese coconuts have not disappointed so far and are very cheap.
Then we wandered back and got some rattly old bikes (free from homestay) and headed to Tam Coc. Whereas An Trang doesn't seem to have a centre, just random restaurants along various roads with no pavements, Tam Coc was a definite tourist mecca and had some gorgeous restaurants along the lakeside, more touristy type restaurants etc.
We wandered around the lake, seeing the boat rides being rowed by the feet and then stopped for a delicious passion fruit 'snow' sorbet type drink and Anna had coconut coffee with a lakeside view. Prices were very reasonable towards the back of the lake and comparable to elsewhere in Ninh Binh.
Next we cycled to Bich Pagoda. We knew it was closed but fancied the ride and although we couldn't go in we could see the pretty entrance way across the lotus ponds which I think is the main attraction. After riding back through a bit of crazy rush hour which keeps you on your toes/pedals, we saw an exercise class for older ladies in the 'square'. They had some sticks but we didn't have time to wait and see what they did with them! We had some dinner by the lake. We were in a slight hurry and Anna was tired so settled for somewhere quick despite them having no tofu and no veggie spring rolls. We had fried noodles with veggies which were good but nothing special.
We cycled back in the dark, walked the bikes on the main strip then cycled once we got to the quiet roads through the rice fields. Anna had a head torch and we only had to stop a couple of times to let some cars pass.
We had booked an extra night in the homestay so we could have the room all day and shower etc. On check out he gave us a bit of a discount for not staying the night, which offset the 3% card fee they have to charge for credit cards everywhere here, plus some water for the journey. Such a lovely place.
Ami (who it turns out is a Captain in the army and has a gun) gave us a lift to the train station. We loaded up on some snacks and waited for the train which was 20 mins late. Don't think getting there 45 mins before departure is quite necessary! We were loaded quickly into our little cabin for the night which was quite nice and had some snacks and breakfast provided and our attendant bought us a drink. Not a cheap way to travel at £220 for a private cabin but 'an experience' per Anna. We shall see how much sleep we get...Read more