The year-old grandma rowed the sampan boat with her feet, propelling two visitors through the steaming rice paddies and stunning rock formations. It was my pleasure to buy her a cold beer.
I signed up at my hotel in Hanoi. And how the park across from a university has become a red light district where needy students engage in prostitution. The garish mega-mansions of the factory owners towered over dusty villages. After about two hours we arrived at Hoa Lu, the capital city of Vietnam in the 10th century.
Visitors wearing shorts are asked to cover up before entering the two surviving temples from the 17th Century, modeled after the originals. The van drove on to our lunch at The Long Restaurant buffet in Tam Coc, with plenty of vegetarian choices as well as chicken pho and goat meat.
Bring cash to pay for your beverage, not included. Trung made sure everyone had a hat and sunscreen before we set off on bicycles through Bich Dong village and into the rice paddies, with scenic limestone formations as the backdrop. I would have liked a little more time for photography. A disaster nearly occurred when my camera flew out of the bike basket and landed β battered but safe β on the only square meter of concrete in the rice field.
Moments after this happy photo, I nearly lost my camera in the rice field. Curious villagers and even the goats seemed amused as I scurried to catch up with the rest of the biking group. Those not wishing to cycle in the steamy degree heat had the option of waiting at the restaurant. After a brief water break, we donned life vests and boarded the sampan rowboats lined up at the village dock.
