day 54 - Ninh Binh

Tuesday, 17 December 2013

The sun came out for us today and we spent the day outside, exploring the city. The guidebook advises that Ninh Binh isn't much of a destination and that there is more to see on the outskirts of the city but we were just happy to take it easy, enjoy the sunshine and get a bit of a taste of city life in Vietnam before arriving into Hanoi.

(Kim Lien Guest House - our home for two nights in Ninh Binh)

The city was buzzing with bicycles, motorbikes, cars, trucks, street vendors wheeling their stalls and even wooden carts pulled by buffalo. The sound of horns tooting was constant. Every third or fourth shop appears to sell food of some description and in between there are clothes and shoes and other accessories. Many clothing stores appear to have English names, perhaps to give a sense of their being something different or unusual available for sale inside. 

(A roving garden centre??)

(One of the large transport bicycles we've seen, used to move heavy or large objects around the city)

The Vietnamese appear to take great pride in their appearance. We have seen endless hairdressers, beauty salons and tailors. To our advantage, they also take care of their motorbikes and this morning we found a man who gave our bikes a good clean with a pressure washer by the side of the road - they looked almost as good as new afterwards. 

Ninh Binh is a small city by Vietnam's standards and we covered much of it by foot over the course of the afternoon. We found the locals to be very friendly and even more so when we greeted them in Vietnamese. People seem to be particularly taken by Paul's beard, with many staring and touching their own face as they passed us. We stopped at a street side barber where Paul got his hair cut but the barber wasn't willing to take on his beard! It is a force to be reckoned with!

(The road side barbers)

(Paul under construction)

(This little guy had a good look at Paul's beard too)

(Ninh Binh market)

(A Pagoda in the park. The hammer and sickle emblem 

in the background was perched on top of another building in the park)

(A bust of a soldier located in the park in Ninh Binh)

(An old carousel withering away in the park)

Tomorrow we will head north towards Hanoi, with a stop over at Phu Ly along the way. We will arrive into Hanoi on the 19th, where we will meet Nicky's Dad who arrives in on the 20th. 

(A big man riding a bike and a little man clinging on)