Peace and Tranquility, Tam Coc

Once again, I found myself at the mercy of buses in South East Asia. Except this time, I knew that I would be treading in potentially unsafe territory. Duy Anh had warned me many times about the unsafeness of buses in Vietnam.

“They drive too crazy.”

“It’s not safe for women!”

“They try to steal your things while you’re sleeping.”

Reading reviews for most of the Vietnamese bus companies didn’t fill me with much confidence either. Reviews citing theft, instances of violence and arguments with bus drivers, reports of inappropriate touching while people were sleeping were all too frequent. However in order to get to Ninh Binh, I really didn’t have many options. I packed my things scrupulously, locking away all my valuables in my backpack, and carrying a secondary lock for my day pack. From chaotic and messy Hanoi, I boarded a bus to my next destination, Ninh Binh.

Almost immediately upon boarding the bus I was taken aback. Looking around my first honest thought was; “What the fuck?” The layout was unlike anything I had ever seen before in my life. The bus was standard coach size, however, instead of the usual rows of seats, divided by the one middle walkway, I was confronted with an almost futuristic looking design. All “seats” were singular and there were two walkways. The seats were not seats, but they also were not beds. They were… other. A pod like design that would enable a (short) person to lay down almost fully. They appeared in a bunkbed like formation. Row after row. Blankets and pillows were provided for each of the pods. My confusion cleared immediately. Ah. The Vietnamese sleeper bus. I was almost instantly confused again. Was my journey not only supposed to be 4 hours? I looked at the bus driver, and knew instinctively that I wouldn’t be able to get a word of English from him. Looking around, I hoisted myself up onto the second level in the middle row. Looking around still, I happened to clash gazes with a younger white male. Observing how his obviously long limbs were crammed into sleeping pods, I snickered. He knew what I was laughing at, and let out a rueful laugh also. His friend beside him joined in, and conversation flowed. Tension slowly released from my shoulders. The journey would be alright.

I stayed vigilant throughout my four hours on the bus. Eyes on the bus driver and bus attendant, watching them closely, trying to see if there were any truths to the horrific reviews I had read online. Throughout the journey, they kept mostly to themselves. The attendant glued to his phone, and the bus driver on the phone to someone for the majority of the journey. Soon we reached our destination.

“Ninh Binh, Ninh Binh” the bus attendant yelled.

People began collecting their belongings and scurrying off the bus. I could get off here fine and get a taxi to my homestay, however it was dark out, and I didn’t see very many taxi options about. The lads were still on the bus, staying until a further destination, Phong Nha. I hopped down, and steeled myself, ready to interact with the bus driver.

“Em, Tam Coc?” I asked hesitantly.

I was really trying my luck here. Tam Coc was a smaller village outside of Ninh Binh. It was quieter, closer to the nature I wanted to see and it was were my accommodation was. He looked at me for a moment, deliberating. And then finally he waved me off with a “Yes, yes ok”. Success. I pulled out my phone, ready to show him the translation of the place I was staying at that Duy Anh sent to me, but he waved me off, not having it. Determined, I came forward again, phone screen lit, with the message waiting. At this point he pushed me back firmly, motioning to my seat. I remember just breathing in deeply from shock. Did he just? I looked back at the lads, who were watching the drama unfold, eyes narrowed and ready to step in. I had two options. I could keep my mouth shut, climb back up to my pod and let them drop me in Tam Coc and find my way to my accommodation from the dropping point. Or I could get into an argument with the Vietnamese driver, who had just put his unwanted hands on me and risk getting kicked off the bus virtually in the middle of nowhere. I sighed and went back to my pod. What would be the use in inciting any drama?

I got to Tam Coc in one piece and to my luck my accommodation was only a four minute walk from where I was dropped off. I arrived at Tam Coc Green Homestay after ten, and was welcomed by the owner, Chung and his parents. Chung was, and would be all smiles for the duration of my stay with his family. His parents were also kind, however their English was limited. That never stopped them from trying to help me whenever I needed help however. It was probably one of the cheapest accommodations I stayed in at approximately €4 per night (later €9 when I switched to a private room). Opening the dorm door instantly told me that I was the only one checked into it. I sighed and got myself ready for bed.

The days that followed were filled with me renting a bicycle from Chung and exploring the area. Renting a bicycle was the best option for me. I was still unsure about renting a motorbike here, and the locations were not so far that a bicycle would take too long (however in saying that, I had one afternoon where I suffered from debilitating heat stroke). Words, and not even the pictures I took could do the beauty of Tam Coc justice. I often wondered a lot as I was riding around, were the locals just as in awe of the beauty around them as I was? My first bike ride brought me to Bich Dong Pagoda. The ride itself was beautiful, and once I trudged through the water to cross over into the area where the pagoda was, it was even more so.

The daily routine continued with me lathering up on sunscreen and bug repellent, slapping on my fake Yankees hat, taking a bicycle and just going. While in the area I rode past acres and acres of rice fields, saw massive limestone karst structures the likes of which rivalled the magnificence of Halong Bay and met many friendly locals along the way. One long bike ride brought me to the base of Lying Dragon mountain. It didn’t have the 1237 steps of Tiger Cave Temple in Thailand, but the 450 steep steps upwards still took a large amount of effort. I was sticky, sweaty and horribly winded but in the end I was rewarded with some beautiful sweeping views of the area.

After about 4/5 days in Tam Coc, I knew it was time for me to move on. The area was beautiful and peaceful, but there was nothing else for me to do and see there, and honestly; I was feeling a little lonely. There were not many travellers in the area. I actually checked out of the dorm and checked into a private room because the dorm felt overly large and empty with just me in it.

Looking at the map, I determined that the next place I wanted to hit was Da Nang. The only issue though? By bus, travelling to Da Nang would take at minimum, 20 hours. Hell no. Travelling by train would take about 12 hours. Maybe. Travelling by flight via Hanoi would only be 1 hour and 15 minutes. Hmm. The train was instantly scrapped as it was the most expensive option (it was in the region of €60). 20 hours on a bus? My mind could not even compute that rubbish. It may have been the cheapest option at €15 but I just didn’t feel like it was a safe enough option. Travel by plane it was then.

The Jetstar ticket cost me about €40 and included baggage costs. I didn’t mind having to go back to Hanoi. Chung was nice enough to book a local bus for me which brought me all the way from Tam Coc directly to Noi Bai airport. And when I say local, I mean local. I was the only foreigner on that bus. It was an interesting experience. There were a few curious looks, but overall it was a pleasant experience. One of the ladies on the bus was kind enough to let me know when we had arrived at the domestic terminal without me even asking. I breezed through check in and boarded my flight straight down to Da Nang.

Da Nang, the Asian Paradise

Da Nang was.. boring. Probably the most boring destination I had seen to date. It was filled mostly with Asian tourists (primarily Chinese and Korean) who were on a beach holiday. The only fun I had here was visiting the beach and taking a trip up to the Marble Mountains. I rented a motorbike and drove up to the Marble Mountains at around seven am in the morning. I wanted to beat the buses of Chinese tourists that usually poured into main attractions like this. I was in luck. I was one of the first people to enter and climb, and because it was early, it was a lot cooler. I browsed through the many cave systems in the mountains, and climbed to the top and saw the view from Heaven’s Gate. It was nowhere as inspiring and the top of Lying Dragon mountain in Tam Coc but it was beautiful all the same. I finished up around 10am and like I predicted, as I was leaving, filled tour buses began to flood the area.