Ninh Binh Ninh Binh
(posting from Luang Prabang, Laos)

We traveled by 11 hour bus ride from Hue and the DMZ to Ninh Binh, a quiet town one hour south of Hanoi. The steward on our VIP bus spoke not a word of English, but referred to us always as Ninh Binh Ninh Binh. After a bathroom break, when it was time to get back on the bus, he called out to us "Ninh Binh Ninh Binh!". When he passed out water and snacks, he shouted, "Ninh Binh Ninh Binh" before handing us our share. And at 5AM, when we pulled into Ninh Binh, he flicked Bella's ear until she woke up, looked at us in the eyes, and gleefully informed us we had arrived in "Ninh Binh Ninh Binh Ninh Binh!"

The town itself offers dust and expensive yogurt (30 cents a cup? We paid 20 in Hue!). Just outside town, however, huge limestone karsts tower behind luscious green rice patties. We rented bicycles and rode out to Tom Coc national park. There, we practiced our Vietnamese with our guides as they rowed us through three caves carved in the rocks.

Here's Bella in the boat with our guides. Bella spoke with them in French -- many of the older generation parlay fransay, a legacy of French colonialism.

A local species of marmot took up residence on my chin. No wait, that's my beard.

Wild wild stuff, these caves.

En route to Cuc Phong, I made a new friend. His name is Moo. He is a water buffalo.

Perfect sunset -- best of our trip. Sun behind the karsts was amazing.

(Note: the original post has been corrected -- had read "Cuc Phong" when I meant "Tom Coc". Also, we arrived in Ninh Binh at 5AM, not 11PM.)