The girls woke up this morning with an extra sprint in their step. It's Christmas Eve!
We enjoyed a yummy breakfast at the Tree House and we were off at 10:00am with a driver to Ninh Binh for the 3.5 hour journey. At the time of departure, we had no plans other than boarding our 10:00pm overnight train to our next destination.
At lunch, I struck a deal with our driver to stay with us for the majority of the day. He was from Ninh Binh and had some ideas for sites we could visit. He suggested the Tam Cốc River, a popular tourist destination for a boat ride.
A Tourist Cyclone
Pulling into the parking lot of the boat launch, we entered what felt like a tourist cyclone after our time in Pu Luong. For a hot minute, I thought we had reincarnated into a herd of cows. I snapped out of it and about 10 minutes into the journey realized this was worth a temporary case of travel fleas.
All Aboard
We bought our tickets and we were off on a boat with our more than capable captain. After about ten minutes, the beauty of this place revealed itself.
Rowing with Feet!
We immediately noticed a number of people rowing their boats with their feet. You see something new everyday!
Into the Caves
We passed through three caves on the route.
Life is Happening
As we've traveled through Southeast Asia, one epiphany I've had when it comes to travel here versus many other places...no matter where you are, life is happening. Even in a hugely popular tourist attraction like this, there are still farmers and locals all around you going about their daily lives in the traditional way they have for generations. They are not planted for the benefit of tourist; it's authentic.
Fisherman doing their thing...
And lest we forget, we were rolling down the river on Christmas Eve!
At the halfway point, there was a group of floating snack shops. We opted for some mango.
With the amount of travel logistics Sarah and I have to work out for this trip, from when, where, hotels, travel, etc... sometimes we wake up on a given morning with no idea what we're going to do. This type of travel is much different, but it certainly is creating many memorable surprises.
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