Detailed Postings for Day Three
- Day Trip / Tour to Ninh Binh via Klook
- Bamboo Cotton Factory - Toilet Stop
- Mua Cave - Main Focus Wasn't The Cave
- The Shorter Yet More Difficult to Climb Summit @ Mua Cave
- The Taller Yet Easier to Climb Summit @ Mua Cave
- Hoa Lu - Ancient Capital of Vietnam
- Lunch for the Day Trip @ Ninh Bình
- Sampan Boating in Trang An
- Hoa Lu Old Town, including Silver Pagodas
- Kỳ Lân Pagoda on top of Unicorn Mountain
- Tung's Kitchen near Hoan Kiem Lake
- Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe
Temperature in the morning; another cool 21 degree celcius! I can totally stay in a place for long term if temperature would hover between 15 and just slightly above 20 degree celcius!
Walking over to meet up with our friends; and chanced upon pretty flowers that were placed in inverted plastic chairs! Ingenious indeed, for better use of existing resources.
Travelling out of the city can be so invigorating; with looming greenery taking over the concrete jungle and the occasional sighting of cemeteries, which have taken, unfortunately, a backseat in this blog. Maybe, I would have a cemetery post for my upcoming trip to Bangkok!
Coach stopped for a toilet break, which also included a visit through the retail arm of a Bamboo Cotton Factory! At least we didn't have to endure any talk or forced purchases.
First official item on the itinerary - Mua Cave! While the name suggests an exploration of a cave, the real activity is much further from the truth as we would be climbing up a hill with two different summits!
Photographs for your reference although you can check out Mua Cave for more of them! Do note that there are two separate summits; one easier, and one difficult . Go for the easier one if you have insufficient time as the summit is taller with better views.
I sure hope I can revisit again and allocating more time to check out the attraction! There's a hotel wing within Mua Cave which I would consider giving the advantage of being able to take both sunrise and sunset at the summits.
Second item on the itinerary - Hoa Lu - Ancient Capital of Vietnam! Just a few temples honoring past kings that died almost a century ago.
Ninh Binh is full of landscapes like the above. Kind of reminded me of my visit to Guizhou in China where such karst limestone formations were aplenty. In Vietnam, Ninh Binh is also known as the land version of Halong Bay.
Complimentary lunch which was provided as part of the tour. Signature was said to be the meat dish made from wild mountain goats that roamed all over Ninh Binh. Click here to read more!
Third item on itinerary - Sampan Boating in Trang An! It was extremely enjoyable, and absolutely relaxing while the "captain" rowed us along the river for close to two hours, and going through a few flooded caves.
It's an experience that both my parents would like.
Fourth item for the trip, although not on the official itinerary. A purpose built Hoa Lu Old Town, including the Silver Pagodas that stood out for its beauty and interesting illumination.
We even climbed up to the Kỳ Lân Pagoda on top of Unicorn Mountain! Kỳ Lân is actually Vietnamese for unicorn and there's actually a legend about the beast. p.s. do note that the unicorn in Oriental context isn't the pure white horse with a single horn on its head.
First thing we did upon disembarking the coach back in Hanoi was to have dinner! Tung's Kitchen was chosen as reviews were rocket high and it was pretty near Hoan Kiem Lake, within walking distance from Bonsella Hotel. For review of our meal, click here!
Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe; I love the 3-in-1 coffee from this brand and was excited to find a wide variety for sale in their cafe. Only issue was the terrible customer service!
Window shopped at this shop opposite Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe that had real nice tee shirts. At my age, my wardrobe had too many tops and I shouldn't purchase more.
Saint Joseph Cathedral at night.
Many streets at Hanoi Old Quarter would be converted into pedestrian-only passages on weekends, starting from Fridays. It's so nice to walk around without the need to look out for motor vehicles! More on the Hanoi Pedestrian Streets in Day 4! :)
My travel companions weren't full after Tung's Kitchen and went another round at this eatery near our hotel. For both Alex and I, we refrained from joining them! For me, it's more like I don't want to eat so late!
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