SOUTH ASIA BLOG October 9th, 2024 - NINH BINH

 

10/9/24– We get plenty of sleep as the day should be a light one for the most part. Our train back to Hanoi leaves in the afternoon but still have half a day to explore.

      

Breakfast is not as plentiful as previous hotels but they do have Pho. Usually, I like to grab some extra pastries or a banana to take with me on the day, but they don’t seem to have any on the menu. The view of their pool and outside is also nice from the rooftop, despite the low lying clouds.

I get about thirty minutes to rest before getting a GRAB to the Lying Dragon Mountain. Sharece opts to stay at the hotel to take full advantage of the spa services (I don’t blame her), while I go on a hike. Seems fair.

The ride is about ten minutes and drops me off at the parking lot, which doesn’t look like a hiking area. There’s tourist buses parked, vendors outside and have to pay 100,000 VND ($4 USD) to enter. I pay the amount and start walking with everyone else, passing a few restaurants and a hotel along the way. 

At the end of the trail lies a steep staircase with a Dragon as a handrail. Yup, this is definitely it. With no time like the present, I march up the stairs like I own them… that is until I tire out half way up the first set. Wow! My legs are already spent.

The angle of the steps don’t allow you to see how far up everything is, but the outward view is quite awesome as I continue going up. It takes about twenty minutes of powering through, and stopping for shade when possible, but I reach the top with some water to spare. What a fantastic view. I’m going to pause this blog for a moment just to reflect. Ahhhhh!

Taking a breather as the cool wind kills the heat, I climb up the last few steps, or notches in the rock, and find little room to maneuver with several others in the way. A dragon head, seemingly made of stone, is inches from my face, with its long tail bouncing on the mountain top, and I’m here holding on for dear life hoping my cell phone doesn’t fall out of my pocket and my camera doesn’t bang against the rocks.

It takes a bit but soon the others clear, leaving me a nice view for a photo. Within a minute, more people start to climb, so I make my way down practically skipping to the bottom, take a GRAB to the hotel and jump into the shower. Thankfully we have our room until 1pm allowing me time to freshen up. I meet Sharece in the room after her massage and after a bit of rest we go back to the Happy Wind restaurant for a late lunch and to kill some time.

Our train leaves around 4:12pm and already feels less noisy than the previous. That is until after an hour passes and a family of six boards, with a toddler that they let run up and down the aisle, screaming high pitch sounds. The parents actually encourage this while the lights were low and people were trying to sleep. Then, the lady behind us starts coughing non-stop and the lady in front keeps playing her instagram videos out loud for everyone to hear. What is with this country and their noise?

7:12pm doesn’t come soon enough as we exit the train, get a GRAB and check into The Chi Boutique Hotel once again. They bring our bags that we had stored with them, go up to our upgraded room (very nice of them) and finally can enjoy the cool air conditioning. I do venture outside for a few night shots of the cathedral next door. I also go to the rooftop for a photo, and as I enter all three employees jump to their feet to greet me. This is definitely a “service first” hotel and appreciate all the little things they do to make a guest feel welcomed.