Vacation in Viet Nam--back to Ninh Binh and Hanoi (11-5)

Tuesday morning I took a walk around our area of the village while breakfast was being prepared. I was especially glad to have done this because we needed to leave after breakfast rather than have a walk around the village as planned. Rain was forecast and our driver was concerned about leaving and getting to better roads before the rain. So we headed down the mountain at 8:00. 

Instead of retracing our route, we took the shortcut down, walking along a stream that we had to cross a couple times. 

Again, we walked through the rice fields where people were harvesting their rice. 

The quiet morning scenery was lovely. I had thought about asking to stop at one of the schools on the way back, but, as we were in a bit of a hurry to get driving before the rain, I didn’t.

The driver met us at the end of the road at 10:30, which shortened our walk a little. We drove for an hour and a half and then stopped at the same café for lunch and had the same delicious noodle soup. Again, Jackie and I walked down the street while the others finished eating. Then we had two more hours in the car before arriving at the guesthouse at 4:00. In all that time, we had rain for about ten minutes.

Riding in a car was interesting. Horns are used frequently to warn others that a car is coming or passing or to let them know to get out of the way. The car had three types of horns. The most frequently used is a little musical, beating a few times but not harshly. Our driver also has a horn like the police use. He used it only a few times and people recognized it as a police horn and always turned to look. Both on the way out and on the way back, we stopped at a certain point so the driver and Nam could put on their seatbelts, as that was an area that was often policed. The rest of the time they didn’t use them. (Photo: driver washing the car after coming out of the mountains)

At lunch time we passed hoards of students riding their bicycles from school to home for their lunch break, which Nam said is an hour and a half to two hours long because they often have a long ride.

We learned that all young men have mandatory military service for 18 months. They usually do this at age 18, after secondary school. But sometimes they wait until they are 24 or 25. He is 24 and has already completed his service.

Political slogans and signs were common, especially in populated areas.

Back in Ninh Binh, we went for a walk before dinner. There is a pagoda near the guesthouse; so we headed there. Since it was early evening, many people were sitting outside enjoying the cooler air. They were friendly and enjoyed having photos taken. 

At the pagoda, three women were sitting in front of the altar chanting/praying. It reminded me of the monks doing this at that time of day. There was a lot of food being brought into the room. We didn’t know if something special was happening. I read later that the full moon and new moon are special days at the temples; so, perhaps, this is what was happening that evening, as it was the night of the new moon.

Wednesday morning we took a walk around Ninh Binh for a couple hours. We were glad to have the morning to walk around and see some of the city before leaving. The back of the guesthouse card has a small map with a walking tour. 

We went to another pagoda that was closed. We found another pagoda that is being built and was open. We went past a place displaying a lot of porcelain and went to look at it. It is probably made there as well. We both ended out purchasing something there; so that was a treat.

Then it was back to the guesthouse for lunch. They don’t usually serve lunch, but Kim had offered to make lunch for us. She prepared a lovely and delicious noodles and chicken dish. Then we were on our way back to Hanoi. First we stopped at a hotel so Jackie could put her part of the bill on her credit card, as Kim can’t do that yet.

We had decided to take a train for a different experience. There was a distinct, strong, unpleasant odor in our car. I was lucky that my nose is not as sensitive as Jackie’s. She thought it was rotting meat. When the people across from us got out and took their many boxes, the odor left. Other than that, the trip was uneventful. The train route was pretty much the same as the bus route, paralleling the road.

We were so warmly welcomed back at Hotel Gecko that it felt like returning home. We even had the same room. Our tour guide on the way to Ninh Binh had suggested that we go to the ancient house not far from our hotel. Since we were both interested in that, we headed out quickly. The ancient house is the Traditional House that is over a hundred years old that is now a Vietnam Heritage Center. In addition to displaying artifacts from its original period, there are also displays of beautiful things for sale. Since the quality was good and prices were good and the money goes to a good place, we both bought several items. It was a good place to leave the last of my cash.

The first day in Hanoi I had changed my Thai bahts to Vietnam dong; so I needed to spend the last of them. I also had American dollars with me. Prices in most places that deal with tourists were in dollars.

A restaurant the hotel women had recommended is on the same street as the Traditional House; so we went there for dinner. We were lucky to be early, as it was packed with people waiting to get in when we left.

Written Vietnamese uses the Western alphabet.  This was very convenient, as it made it easy to read signs even though we didn’t know the words.

Thursday morning we left at 6:00 to get to the airport for our flight back to Bangkok.  I enjoyed my brief time in Vietnam and want to return to see more of the country.