Sometimes you have to take the easy route, and I did, by taking a sleeper bus from Ninh Binh to Phong Nha instead of bus, train, bussing it on the local network. This meant the opportunity to take another sleeping bus, which is a special kind of hell.

Getting settled into our bunks on the sleeper bus:

At least I had an amazing meal before hand (this is for my reference), fried goat in pepper and lemongrass, with a peanut ginger sauce, mint and rolled into rice papers. Aaaaamazing

Sleeper bus is not the right term because between speeding down narrow windy and bumpy roads, in which the bus driver honks regularly, and stopping fairly often to pick up new passengers (in which the lights come on), very little sleep can be had.

In the morning, I find a group to go see some awe inspiring caves not far from town on a sketchy boat with. The cave was massive, had a river running through it, and the most spectacular stalactites and stalagmites that towered maybe two to three stories from cave floor to ceiling. It was also used during the war to store munitions for the Vietnamese and so the Americans tried in vain to destroy the cave with bombs and fighter jets but to no avail. Here’s a few pictures but I don’t think you can really understand just how beautiful it was.

To cap off a beautiful day, we went to the pub with cold beer (that was actually it’s name) and rock paper scissors for who got to kill the chicken we ate. I lost, but enjoyed watching our dinner get prepared nonetheless. I feel confident in my carnivorous ways no that I’ve seen it first hand. It wasn’t like a horror movie, it was quick and painless and the meat was delicious!

I observed some tourists in their natural habitat at the town’s party hostel slash bar. I have this to say of that style if tourism, it’s like summer camp for young adults. The hostels organize daily activities, serve food, and supply bunk beds. They also book train and bus tickets, usually direct to the next party hostel on the line from North to South or south to north. I am happy that I haven’t experienced this until Vietnam, and I know what to avoid for future destinations.

Knowing this, I set off on the public bus to find a hostel on the beach I read about by chance online. I get there and there’s only a handful of long term travelers there, it’s quiet, peaceful and beautiful. Yessss. They give me a beer and leave me alone while I soak in some peace on the beach. Thanks. That was exactly what I wanted.

Halfway through my journey in Vietnam as of yesterday. I am enjoying it here, but it is busy, and this is the first time I have felt real relaxation in days. Recharging now, hopefully to finish off Vietnam with a bang, but I might just get lazy and hang out all day on the beach again, and again. Oh well. Life’s good.