Vietnam, Ninh Binh: My favorite stop on our trip was Ninh Binh. It was hot, humid, difficult to get around and out in the middle of nowhere, but was by far the most gorgeous scenery. If anything made me feel like I was in another country, it was this place. The landscape, food, and people all had such character that it made the overwhelming humidity fade to the backdrop.
The most memorable part of our trip for me was something that we almost didn’t even do. It was over 100 degrees out with 80% humidity and it took every ounce of me to not just go back to our bamboo hut (did I mention we stayed in a bamboo hut?) and lie down. After we ordered a meal that should’ve suited at least 5 people, I came to my senses and we decided to take a boat ride down the Tam Coc River. We had, what appeared to be a very frail and elderly man rowing our boat with his feet for an hour and a half. We went between cliffs and underneath caves, and saw some incredibly interesting people along the way.
My biggest take away from this experience was to take. the chance. Yes. it would’ve been much easier to back out of the adventure and choose comfort, but how much would I have regretted not going on that boat ride?
