SOUTH ASIA BLOG October 8th, 2024 - NINH BINH

 

10/8/24– Ugh, another 4am wake up time as our train to Ninh Binh, Vietnam leaves at 6:10am. Even though we are only going to be gone for the one night and will be back at this hotel tomorrow night, we still need to pack our bags to check out. Our hotel in Hanoi is storing our bags for the night so we don’t have to lug it along, and provides us both with a box breakfast for the journey. I tell you, everyone we’ve met here in Vietnam has been very nice so far. Very hospitable environment.

Our GRAB drops us off at the station and our train is the first in line to board. We find our seats, which are numbered on the back so a bit hard to find initially, and soon realize in horror that we are seated smack in the middle of a group of 10 people who are already very loudly talking back and forth. It’s 6am and Jeffery needs his sleep.

The ride is a very long two hours with the constant yapping, coughing and bathroom smell seeping through the cabin, but we arrive in one piece to Ninh Binh. Not wasting any time, we scurry outside the station only to be hounded by drivers practically tackling us to take their taxi service. We continue right past and call a GRAB. Ten minutes later we arrive at Lalita Boutique Hotel & Spa.

Not knowing what to expect this early in the morning, we’re pleasantly surprised when they say our room is ready. We were fully prepared to drop off our bags and go, but this allows us to relax in our room, eat our box breakfast and unwind from the journey for a few hours.

With a bit of rest behind us, we call a GRAB (who happens to already be seated in the lobby at the hotel so very convenient) and take it to Bai Dinh Pagoda. The trip takes about thirty minutes and as we arrive, the driver rolls down my window in the backseat to pay the attendant. I have no idea if this is the entrance ticket or what but it’s only 30,000 VND so I pay it. Turns out, it was for parking. Now why would a person dropping someone off have to pay for parking? That just sounds dumb. But when you’re in a communist country you learn not to ask too many questions.

At the ticket counter, we are presented with a few options. The first two involves only a single round trip ticket to the main property area and back. Realizing the complex is quite large, we opt for the more expensive all-inclusive ticket including unlimited electric car rides to each location as well as the top of the thirteen-story tower. Funny how the upsale on the tickets (which includes a foot message if we so choose to accept it) only cost us a total of $10 USD.

With tickets in hand, we also purchase a conical hat for Sharece (which is the traditional pointed hats worn by locals) before taking the electric car to the first location of The Three Gates (the entrance to the land of Buddha). 

We take the transport to the Three Periods Temple housing three large golden Buddha statues representing the past, present and future.  On the wall shelves hundreds of smaller Buddha statues enclosed in cases like trophies. We have to take our shoes off to walk inside the temple and be silent for those who are praying. A very surreal moment regardless of what god you adhere to.

From here it’s a short walk to the tall pagoda tower. There are shoe booties to put on at the entrance and an elevator to the top floor (however, we still need to walk up a few flights to the second level for that), but once we exit the 12^th floor we are enamored with a vast view of the area. Despite the haze, we can see multiple smaller pagodas surrounding the area as well as the entire layout of the complex.

It’s now 2pm and the 90+ degree heat is out in full force. Leaping from shadow to shadow as best as we can, we take the electric car back to the front ticketing area (having to switch cars each time it stops at a location) and call a GRAB back to the hotel. I did try to look for a pagoda souvenir but they are all too tall and only accept cash.

Back in the room, it has a slot to put in the room key to turn on the electricity so of course the air couldn’t blow while away. It takes quite a bit for the cool air to circulate but the bed is comfortable enough to rest for a few moments before venturing down the street for some food. Surprisingly, we find a Mexican food place called Happy Wind that is excellent. 

Feeling unsatisfied with the souvenir catch, we take another GRAB down the street to the local market area (did I mention how much I love this car service here as it’s so cheap and fast), and unfortunately do not find what we are looking for. I mean, the pagoda is one of the main things to see in Ninh Binh so why not have it as a souvenir? A bit dejected, we head back to our hotel, which does provide a stand-up fan for us tonight. 

Side note: I can feel my throat a bit sore right now so hopefully I didn’t catch anything on the train ride here.