I woke up around 7 as there was no real rush. I showered and went downstairs where I woke the guy to get out and got some more vermicelli which I ate at the hostel. At 8am the motorbike guy hadn't turned up so I asked at the desk and one of the motorbikes was for me, I have a feeling it was there already yesterday. I got my things together and left the 2nd helmet and then headed off to get some petrol and drive south. The nearest petrol station was just a short diversion from the hostel but I was a bit away before I first checked my map so I went round a lake and got my petrol there filling up 20k. The needle didn't seem to move, great I thought another dodgy bike but then it slowly rose to below halfway and I headed south through some small tight alleyways. After that I found my way onto a nain riad and stayed on it for at least 30 minutes. It was 9am and the rain was continual and was slowly soaking through my jacket so I stopped to put on the waterproof that came with the bike. I carried on south and the map told me to take a left to join a bigger faster road. Since this one only had one lane by now I did and drove 1km West to find that there was a toll booth but also that they don't let motorbikes on the road. So I turned around and went back to the other road where I had to get petrol soon enough. It gave me a chance to adjust the watrproof which had a big rip down the front and I used some string to hold it in place. I asked for 30k of petrol but I was holding a 50k bill so she put in 50k of petrol so I thought I'd be returning a bit of petrol to the hostel. The road carried on and it really was miserable with the rain hitting my face so that I wore sunglasses and the ripped waterproof and being pretty wet by now and a bit cold I realised why the emperor moved the capital to Hue, it was at least better than Hanoi. The road joined up with a faster toll road but bikes didn't pay, I expect it was the same one as earlier, the drive was long and I turned the waterproof around so that the tear was at the back which was better for waterproofing but meant it slipped off more. I got to Ninh binh about 11.30 and made my way to the first tourist area which was where people catch boats along the river to see the hills surrounding. It was 270k for the boat which can be shared but it was too miserable and I didn't have time. I went into the hills and came to a viewpoint with a cave nearby and they tried to usher me into a parking area to charge me no doubt so I parked a bit away on the road and walked back. There were 2 tourist buses parked up and when I went to the temple and then up the steps and through a small cave there were lots of Chinese all over. The place was ok but with the drizzle and mists the karsts didn't look as spectacular as they probably normally do. I went back down and tried to find the cave which I did eventually and it was past the parking which had a roof while my bike was getting wet. The walk to the cave was a few minutes, some slong a muddy path and the gate to the cave was locked but a nan came along asking for money. It was 20k so I left and got back to the bike which was fairly waterproof at least. I went nearby where there was a temple and a cave on the maps along a path with steps and the woman there wanted 20k as well. These places might be worth it but you just don't know so I went to another place in the same area where the cave was only accessible by boat and there were quite a few moored up. I didn't check the price and I went back to the first place where the boats leave and along another road which became a dirt track and ended at a temple being built. The path went over a bridge where lots of boats were going with somr of the women rowing using their feet to row. I took a small detour to a cemetery and then joined the main road and went to another cave area heading back to Hanoi slightly. This one had free parking but cost 100k dong. It was on wikitravel though and had a great view. I looked up at the mist covered hills and thought maybe not today though so I got back on the bike. It was quite an area for karst hills and caves. I went back to a larger road and went along that for a while and came to Trang An where there were lots of buses, tourists and a big parking area charging 15k. I parked further down the road and walked back eating my vermicelli. Bu now the rain had let up and this place was well recognised. They did boat tours around a hill with temples and caves to see, it all takes a couple of hours and costs over 200k. By now it was getting on to 3pm so I had a look around and left. There were a few more places where I stopped on my way like cemeteries and a tunnel through the mountain but I went towards the perfume pagoda only it wasn't clear how to get there. The road went close and I came to a village which was celebrating some temple season so I must be in the right place. I looked online how to get there and it said it requires a boat and then a climb and takes 2 hours. I drove so I was closer and got a view of the hills where the temples could be and then as it was getting late I headed back. Maps wanted me to go back the same way as I came but I decided on a different route which was a slow road with trucks that were not easy to overtake. It got dark and I stopped for a temple but there wasn't that much to see. I also needed the toilet for the 3rd time in the day, it could be the moisture in the air or maybe it was that I wasn't sweating but normally once is enough. even though I drove a long way through a main road into the centre of Hanoi there were no supermarkets there. I parked up at the hostel and did a few things before getting some food. I didn't feel like more vermicelli so I found a banh my place and got one with pate and one with egg. Back at the hostel Kell had already left and I asked about Halong bay tours but they had no space on the 3 day 2 night tour and they were offering transport there, hostel and 1 day tour for 800 dong. I wasn't sure and ended up not booking anything. I was feeling tired, it had been a hard day driving and I had spent 135 on petrol and 150 on the bike, I needed a holiday but I couldn't bring myself to book it. I went to the internet cafe and then came back, read a bit and slept.
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