Day 23
Country
Ron had risen early (as usual) and gone for a swim in the sea across the road. It was raining again today and very grey. We needed to change some more money and luckily for us the Tet holidays were over and banks would open today. We left dead town and headed to Tam Coc, Ninh Binh. We had heard it was worth visiting to see the rice fields and take a boat trip to see more caves.
The bikes needed another oil change as we had by now done more than 3000 kms, so we stopped at a place called Thanh Hoa on the way and there was none of this "leave your bike and collect it later or next day" we get back home. We arrived and within 15 minutes both bikes had an oil change, chains and clutch adjusted and lubed. All for less than £3. Ridiculous.
Tam Doc was another backpacker's magnet. There were hotels and restaurants everywhere and they were building more. We got a little twin-bed bungalow at the Tam Coc Rice Fields Homestay overlooking a lake full of ducks. It was very pretty. It was still cloudy so we decided not to go on the boat trip that day and walked to a nearby temple pagoda instead. There was a ceremony (to bring good luck) going on. There was a band playing (religiuos) music? tunes? and a lady doing various rituals helped by an elderly couple. It was fascinating to watch.
Back at the Homestay we played some pool and chatted to the landlady to find out what was worth seeing in the area. She was very helpful and gave us lots of information and maps. We decided to stay an extra day at Tam Coc.
