Third Realm of Hell

I’m pretty sure the temperature today was about the same as they were reporting in Hell Central. At one point, the “feels like” temperature was 113 degrees. But, it did not deter us. Armed with packets of electrolytes and gallons of water, we spent 13 hours driving to and touring the Ninh Binh area.

Ninh Binh is a 2-2.5 hour drive from Hanoi. Our tour guide, Henry, had us sign in, noting the police were ambushing tours more often. Alarmed, I quickly realized that he used the wrong word. He really just meant the police were stopping tours more frequently to check paperwork. After recovering from my moment of fear, I learned that Ninh Binh was once the capital of Vietnam, but that was about 1000 years ago. As we drove into the region, limestone karsts jutted upward out of the lush landscape, reaching up to the overcast sky. Our tour itinerary included three sites, two of which are recognized by UNESCO.

Our first stop was the Bai Dinh Pagoda. It is one of the largest temple complexes in Southeast Asia. This UNESCO site holds several impressive features, including:
the largest gilded bronze Buddha in Asia, the largest bronze Maitreya Buddha statue in Southeast Asia, the largest bronze bell in Vietnam, the tallest pagoda in Asia, and the largest number of Bodhi trees in Vietnam. (Fun fact: did you know the leaves of the Bodhi tree are heart shaped?)

The complex is huge, so we weren’t able to visit everything. What we did see was impressive. One building held thousands of little buddhas in their own mini enclaves. The statues wrapped around every side of the building, sitting behind large concrete arhats; about 500 of those took up residence in the same corridors. From most locations we visited, we could see the pagoda that towers over the complex. We didn’t get close to it, but we could still appreciate its construction and carved detail.

Before departing, we climbed the two story, wooden bell tower. Sure enough, this was big bronze bell. Tied down was the hanging, smooth log just asking to be pulled back and rammed into the metal side. Henry said they ring the bell just three days per year but on those days, they hit it 108 times. Apparently you can hear it up to six kilometers away. Not bad. You’re curious what days? Lunar new year, Buddha’s birthday, and the day of the dead (not the same date as Dias de Muertos).

Our next stop was Trang An. Another UNESCO location, where we hopped on a bamboo boat. With five million other tourists, we floated around and through the limestone karsts. The view was incredible from water level. You’d probably recognize the scenery from the movie Kong: Skull Island. Or maybe not. As we floated along, we saw different colored water lilies and admired the variety of plants, trees, and moss growing near the river. Several times, we rowed through caves running under the karsts. They varied in size from lengthy to short, wide and narrow, as well as tall and short. Each provided welcome shade, as the day began to heat up quickly. We squeezed under umbrellas to avoid the direct sunlight, but even the shade’s temperature was three digits.

The air conditioned bus felt like a temporary oasis. Our last stop of the day was Mua Cave. A 500 step hike up the side of the mountain. It was the hottest part of the day, but Henry reassured us that the climb was on the shaded side of the mountain, with only the very top in direct sunlight. The more we ascended, the more water poured out of our bodies. By the time I reached the top, I was soaked in sweat and red as a beet. The effort was rewarded with incredible views of the rice paddies below and the jungle-laden karsts rising all around us. And the dragon statue at the peak. We had time to take a quick picture before we all suffered heat stroke. At the bottom, the bus provided respite and much needed water. I cracked open another packet of electrolytes and dozed off on the way back to the hotel.Read more