Trip - Vietnam D3 - Sail Along the Dragons

Hi Blog,

It was my third day in Vietnam. Overall, the experience was positive except for a bloated tummy with days of constipation, which was painful, especially when sitting down. Yes, most people will criticise me for always wearing tight trousers, which reminds me to learn to be more self-aware. Little did they know that the bloating was concentrated in the upper abdomen rather than the entire tummy.

Day 3 morning seemed hazier and greyish.

Anyway, I will be fine today if I eat less to ease myself. Where are we headed today? Explore Ninh Bình - Halong Bay on Land!

Ooo, I did not notice the infinite mirror in the lift. It could have been a very small reflection, but it does not help much, especially when you have to take pictures of this eyesore.

Oh, I forgot to show you what I had for breakfast. Yes, I only eat sunny eggs for breakfast every morning... I am out of food options. Yes, there is bread. I used it to make a juicy egg sandwich.

I was trying to write my blog post on the bus because we were mostly travelling by bus, but I began to feel dizzy. So, it did not work as well as I expected.

How will my life be different if I live in such a location? Then I realised I was dreaming while napping on the bus.

Travelling from Hanoi to Ninh Bình takes about two hours or more, and the landscape transitions from urban streets to the outskirts.

The tour guide slowed down to show us a property owned by one of the richest individuals in Vietnam, which stands out significantly among the poorer areas. This place is called Lâu Đài Thành Thắng (Thanh Thang Palace).

During our toilet break, I bought myself something - my second purchase of the trip, and I was confident it would keep mosquitos away.

We appeared to be getting closer as the Halong Bay-style mountain ridges became visible.

I honestly do not know how to pronounce these words... Ninh Bình.

Looks like a quiet place

Halong Bay has a rocky mountain style, while Ninh Bình is more green in nature.

Have you noticed anything that resembles a garden by the bay or vice versa? 😂

But I could not take any more photos here because the group had moved on to another location.

What a lovely landscape; will we be sailing in sampans again?

My mother became irritated because they had to wait for me while I was taking pictures. Only I was actively documenting among the tour group members, and my mother was disappointed by my actions. I will not explain to her, as she will only want to conform to what was perceived as an attitude and disrespect towards her.

(credit tour guide) let's have a group before sailing.

And a selfie moment

According to the tour guide, this sampan ride is the residents' sole source of income, and in addition to transporting tourists, they must grow their own crops to survive; thus, we can express our appreciation with a small token at the end of the ride.

Everyone started to sail off.

I am ready!

Wearing a life jacket, here we go!

Simply stunning. The mountain ridges and not-so-bright sun were ideal for sightseeing rather than the scorching hot sun.

The sampan glided gently down the river, making for a tranquil journey.

Beautiful scenery and weather; I can not stop taking pictures while my mother is on another sampan with my auntie.

Oh, a duck?

Some kind of water bird, but most people will simply call it a duck.

I wondered if the water was a river or a pool...

What a beauty; I am not tired of it, but you may be because there are so many photos of it.

Oh, it is also quite clean, which is great because people helped keep it that way.

Let us put my water-resistant camera to the test, but the results are blurry.

More mountain pictures

Oooo, we were about to enter the cave.

Not deep enough.

Smile everyone! 🧀!

After passing through a cave, you enter a new world. What awaits us?

This place is amazing; I have always wondered how it came to be.

Truly Beauty. But if you are tired of it, you can simply scroll through. Let us put it to the test; if you did not and there is a reader, simply leave a "nope" in the comments section of this post.

Will I ever have a girlfriend to wefie with?

Another cave again?

I wondered...

I looked around the cave and carvings... It appeared to be natural but with some human intervention to ensure safety.

Oooo, one of the longest caves thus far, dark and peaceful.

The wiring connection from outside to inside the tunnel requires effort.

I tried taking a few pictures in the cave, and only this one was not blurry.

Another world ahead of us.

More mountains, are you sick over it?

The mountain will be a more appealing sight than seeing me.

Did you notice the line between the layers of rock? They are different layers of moulded beds that formed millions of years ago.

Just like a painting :)

Legendary Minh Binh scene

(credit Sampan lady) Good initiative by her.

Thank you, Heaven, for clearing out the majority of the crowd so that I could get a better shot.

Another cave, again? Was my wish granted, because I was somewhat disappointed yesterday... Now, cave after cave, yippee!

This cave lilted up the rock in various colours.

Not sure if these rocks are still growing or not...

I did my best to capture the photo, but the sampan was moving and my shaky hands made it impossible.

The ceiling in this cave is quite low, so we had to exercise caution.

Red and green illuminate beautifully.

I do not have enough time to look through everything here... The Chinese idiom 走馬看花 "Look at flowers while riding a horse" refers to gaining a superficial understanding through cursory observation.

Pretty lily :3

Another cave! Let's go!

I noticed that this cave had a smooth ceiling that appeared to be man-made and that it was lit with Chinese lamps. If they truly want to invest, I believe they can go with a more creative theme, similar to the Korea Railway Ride.

Let us make a guess: will there be another cave?

I have heard that this location was used in the movie King Kong. I did not notice the scene, but I will look for it and update my blog when I find it.

Ooo, it appears we have returned to the shrine. Quickly take a picture while no one is around.

Take a closer look at the natural cracks that cut through the rock.

It seemed like the sampan lady had been rolling it for about an hour... Then I noticed that some people were also rolling their sampans; I had no idea we had oars.

I checked and found it!

I figured I could roll to assist the sampan lady and speed up the process.

Last wefie moment, everyone, because I am going to focus on rolling the boat.

(credit to one of the families) I am a solo roller.

If I do not roll it, we could be the last sampan. 😂

Finally, we made it, and I must say that I was impressed with myself for catching up with some sampans on my own. Along the way, we noticed many koi waiting for us to feed them, but I was too tired to feed any of you... 🫠

There are many beautiful places to explore, but we were short on time, so I took a quick photo of the location and knew nothing about it.

Mother and aunties, smile at the camera 📸

(credit my cousin) ugly-me smile 😀!

I wanted to photograph some more locations, but I was falling behind the group...

On the bus, I felt bloated and exhausted...

Next stop - Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Cố đô Hoa Lư

I wish I lived in a house backed by a mountain.

Because pictures with mountains in the background are always stunning.

A temple that honoured previous dynasties...

This location was once Vietnam's first capital.

It was constructed by King Dinh Bo Linh. Our tour guide is very knowledgeable and shares some of the history of King Dinh Bo Linh. However, my memory is insufficient to recall the details.

Perhaps you can Google for it.

Did you notice the dragon casting on the rock table? Hmm, I can not see it very clearly.

If I remember correctly, this is the Temple of King Dinh. (I cheated. 😂)

I did not follow the group and instead explored the area on my own.

I enjoy having time for myself.

Quite an intriguing design. Nice!

A few random shots away from the group. I wished I could take more. I was only able to use my camera and had to manage everything on my own, which was time-consuming.

I will just stick with my usual style. Welcome to my backyard paradise.

The next temple is slightly smaller but has a similar layout.

However, I am curious as to why it is so short.

Some intriguing designs here

I didn't go into the temple because...

I found something interesting here for photos, even though I know nothing about this location... Feeling purposeless.

Anyway, I knew I was fighting for some alone time to take photos. As I walked towards a parade square, I noticed a shrine in the centre that no one had approached since my arrival.

Me-time moments

Some tombstone-like structures are here to explain some information about this location; as I looked closer, it was all in Vietnamese.

We returned to the bus and spent another two hours travelling to Hanoi. I continued to write my day 1 blog post, but I was too shaky to concentrate, and I was also bloated, so I took a quick nap... I wanted to nap flat, but the slanted position is causing stress in my fat butt...

Back in Hanoi, after experiencing their local rickshaw on day 1, now we were taking another one - an electric bus.

I was the odd one out, so I took the front seat to get some more photos.

Passing through the chaotic street.

In Vietnam, I saw this face everywhere. I wondered who he was. Then, on my last day in Vietnam, I discovered that he was Ho Chi Minh. He was also featured in every Vietnamese currency.

I only made the driver uncomfortable by trying to position my camera.

Back to the topic, I wanted to take a video of their chaotic but orderly street, but it doesn't meet my standards.

I tried to spam.

Did you notice the traffic chaos here? Aside from the main flow of traffic, drivers are going against it in all directions.

Wefie moment. I also showed you how three days of constipation can cause a bloated stomach, or I am simply fat... 🫠🫠🫠

Around 6 p.m., the sky quickly darkened, and I realised it was Christmas Eve! A massive Christmas display in front of an old church drew a large crowd.

To be honest, the Christmas tree attracted a lot of attention from the public and businesses.

From this perspective, this old church appeared to be an ideal location for Halloween night, possibly due to the lighting and the different vibe.

See, the image without the dark church will make this Christmas tree look nice and chill.

We went to a cafe to learn how to make egg coffee; unfortunately, I could not drink it because it contained rum, and I got tired of taking more photos because I had not documented the process or the lovely cafe... So smile everyone! 📸

We walked on our way back to the bus...

And I just wanted to end my third day in Hanoi at a peaceful lake surrounded by crowds... We will have to return to our hotel to pack for the fourth and fifth days, so we will need to plan ahead of time.

Oh yeah, I found these cute otters sold in Vietnam, but somehow...

It is an imitation because the craftsmanship is off, the proportions are awkward, which detracts from its cuteness, and the fabric is rather cheap.

Back in Singapore, check out the original otter plushie I got from Japan; can you tell the difference in quality and craftsmanship?

This was my first experience in Vietnam, and I hope to visit again with friends if I get the chance. I would love to spend more time in certain places. Anyway, I should start packing my luggage because tomorrow we will be going to the main highlight of the entire trip. Time to sleep...

Jeff