Puddles of Piranhas

Today we’re going to learn some new Vietnamese words:

                        Quần thể danh thắng Tràng An tại Ninh Bình.

        Roughly translated it means:

 The Trang An Scenic Complex in Ninh Binh

This place was our primary destination yesterday and is a Two-Time Holder of a UNESCO World Heritage Designation….. one for its anthropological history and another for its geologic and natural significance.

It is located almost on the coastline, but more specifically in the Red River Delta area. The Red River is the one that we kinda followed over the days that we spent up in the Hill Country. Now we are at its terminus along with the ancestors of the folks that have inhabited, and farmed, this area for over 30,000 years… hence its UNESCO designation.

        The top activity here is a sampan ride through the caves of Tam Coc located in the delta and these caverns are strewn about this limestone filled location. The 2017 movie, Kong: Skull Island was filmed here and with good reason. The towering cliffs, giant cave and otherwise dramatic landscape make quite the “filmed on location” location! The serrated-type landscape of Ninh Binh is a character in itself. Often referred to as “Ha Long among the rice paddies,” (we’re going to visit the Ha Long Bay soon, so you’ll understand the comparison.) This cinematic (no CGI!) sweep of fertile countryside is the home to that aforementioned pocket of limestone formations springing out of the earth like some huge fortresses. Tam Coc is the flooded cave system that is part of the larger Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex. The unpredictable sequence of rolling hills and mountains is evened off by the flowing bends of the Ngo Dong River. It was on this river that our sampan ride was given.

        The ride was about an hour long and was provided by a young lady who spoke no English but was able to make her wishes known, like when I needed to move just a little in order to counter our listing to starboard. Interestingly, most of the rowers used their legs to propel us along, not their arms. We still can’t figure out how they kept their feet attached to the oars!

Into the caves we go!

This was another time when I would have killed for some blue skies and sunlight because there is just no way to confer to you the massive scale of some of these towering monoliths that this area is so famous for. Scale is everything and I’m afraid that these photos do it no justice. I am sorry.

We went from the sampans to a Buddhist Temple. here are some pics….

                Our lunch was at a charming, family-run B&B tucked out in the rice paddies. Friendly does not even come close to describing the people around here!

                As an aside, this adventure was not on the Itinerary as it was supposed to be a free day to do what you pleased. But Phil organized this whole thing because he wants us to have as complete an experience as we can possibly have.

                We may not survive this pace.

        On the way back we encountered the usual traffic which was of the usual volume which makes it unusually exciting for us bus riders as we watch the scooters and trucks vie for the same coveted position in the line of vehicles that moves like so many slithering snakes headed for the same destination. And then we come to an intersection! This is all good because fourteen senior citizens the need to visit the Happy Room were kept entertained, which helped to take our minds off of our bloated bladders.

                Not sure about tomorrow, some rain is forecast and I think we’re going to try and do one of those “Foodie Scooter Tours” which will put us right there in the middle of that terrifying turmoil….. maybe I’ll try and figure out how to show you a video!