Author Archives: jayterwilligerii

Northern Vietnam Trip: Day 8 (21 December 2025)

Day 8 was my last full day on Cat Ba Island. I intentionally kept things low-key today, focusing on wandering the local streets and catching a proper sunset.

The morning started slowly. At 8:15 AM, after finishing some work and showering, I went down to the reception area. The setup at the entrance to this hotel is very odd; it’s basically a reception desk that doubles as a living room and bedroom. There is a small single bed right behind the desk, and frequently there’s someone sleeping there. Similarly, the day I arrived, someone was just sleeping on the couch in the lobby. I considered trying to get a picture of the bed, but the figured that was a bit intrusive. The couch however seemed fair game, but it also seemed to miss the whole point of the picture, as there was currently no family activity going on in that area. Still, you can get some hints of what I’m talking about.

Having my included breakfast at 8:32 AM, I reflected on the fact that it is good to have some complete downtime. Nevertheless, I wished there was something slightly more structured to see or do today. Evidently, there’s a third beach here that I didn’t see yesterday, so I figured I could go check that out. The only issue was that my beach shorts from a couple of days ago were still in the laundry, so I debated whether I needed to buy another pair. I know, such a difficult decision, right?

I know it doesn’t look like much, but the bread was quite nice, and you have to remember that this hotel is proper cheap, and still has a more than adequate included breakfast. The coffee alone, was certainly of at least the same quality you would get in a nearby cafe, so I felt that I had no reason to complain. Sometimes, food is just food.

At 9:20 AM I decided to go back upstairs and just work on the blog for a bit, but I clearly had not been working on this particular entry, as more than two months have passed since I was visiting, and I am only just now writing about Day 8!

The Great Facebook Ban of 2025

Then, drama struck.

At 12:41 PM, I got a bit of a shock. I had just posted on Facebook about my Day 2 trip in Vietnam, and my account was immediately blocked. I think it was because I included an AI-created photo in the post as a joke, even though I made it clear in the text that I had intentionally included a “suspicious picture” for people to try to identify as being fake. I don’t use Facebook constantly, but getting blocked made me feel sick; I have more than 15 years of posts, memories, and contacts tied to that account. Planning for just such an eventuality, is actually the reason that I started this blog . . . Here I pay for my hosting, and maintain ownership (not that it is particularly valuable) of all of my writing. However, there is still a lot there from before I started the blog, and I would also miss the contact with a couple of friends who are regular posters.

Thus, I spent the next twenty minutes (1:01 PM) frantically uploading various documents and appealing the block. By 1:20 PM, Facebook restored my account. Who knows what actually happened (They certainly didn´t tell me the offense) behind the algorithmic curtain, but crisis averted.

Exploring the “Real” Cat Ba

At 2:03 PM I finally headed out walking, sporting some new glasses (not technically new, but the backup pair I had brought along) since my other ones weren’t staying on my face very well. The sun was very bright and it was rather warm, though there was a nice breeze coming off the water.

At 2:15 PM I arrived near the “third beach.” It’s not as fancy-looking as the others, but it still looks like a decent spot. I once again debated buying another pair of trunks, but at 2:35 PM I decided that this beach looked interesting, but not buy-another-pair-of-shorts-I’ll-never-use-again interesting. If there had been some shop selling them right there, I might have given in to the impulse, but that´s not what happened. If any shopkeepers from Cat Ba are reading, this might be a business opportunity.

I wasn´t particularly hungry, but eating is always good, so I resolved to wander around with the general goal of finding some hidden gem where I could get lunch. The wandering worked out alright, but not the lunch part.

Up on the hillside at 2:19 PM, I saw some sort of a temple in the distance, and I thought it might be nice figure out how to get there. I never discovered how to reach the temple, but the back streets themselves were eye-opening . . . so different from the main strip along the side of the lake.

No, that´s not the temple. It is just a family or neighborhood shrine of some sort.

Moving along at 2:25 PM I saw more of those local houses with massive glass front doors, in many cases left wide open; privacy curtains don´t seem to be a thing.

I really can´t tell you how I got there, but at 2:41 PM I found myself on some other “local street” which seemed to be a mix of both shops and residential homes. I suppose it wasn´t an Earth shattering discovery, but it was new for me.

Once more at 2:47 PM I noticed some more government buildings which were yellow. I was developing a working theory that “yellow equals government building” perhaps because it contrasts well with red?

I was quite proud of my architectural detective work for about five minutes, but it was all dashed to pieces when at 2:52 PM I saw a WHITE government building. Judging from the rings, I am guessing it was a public gymnasium, but I can´t confirm that. So, the new working theory was: “government buildings are yellow, unless they are gymnasiums”.

This still seemed like an understandable system, so once again I was feeling quite proud of myself. And then the whole theory came crashing to the ground when at 2:55 PM I saw yet ANOTHER white government building, which clearly was not a gymnasium. No longer a theory but just an observation . . . many government buildings in Vietnam are yellow, but at least some of them are white . . . more information is required to see if other colors also appear.

I then saw the oddest thing. There was a furniture shop with a rather large mirror. The mirror had a plush fuzzy border reminiscent of a cartoon rabbit. It made sense to me that someone might think it was nice perhaps for a child´s bedroom, but it certainly didn´t look very practical for cleaning. I mused that it might be removable and washable, but closer inspection didn´t seem to support that hypothesis. But then I suppose cloth couches and armchairs also aren´t easily washable, so maybe it wasn´t all that remarkable.

No doubt you my faithful reader have already arrived at this conclusion, but at around 3:10 PM I realized that it really doesn´t take that much to please me. I was quite happy just to have found this section where it appeared that local people actually live and go about their daily lives away from the tourist strip. Should I really care that much? Probably not, but it is something that most tourists probably won´t take the time to see. Furthermore, given that the rapid development of the area is obvious, it seemed likely that much of what I was seeing today, would be totally different in 2-3 years. I genuinely hope that the actual people of the island will benefit from all the changes.

Literally coming full circle, at 3:28 PM I noted that my wandering had brought me right back to the beach I had originally set out to see. It seemed predestined that I should check it out a bit more. As I walked down, it was obvious that this is the “old beach,” a bit neglected, having been replaced by the shiny new ones I had seen the previous day.

A Sunset Dinner and a Feline Friend

By 3:49 PM I was walking next to the lake again. I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast and lunchtime had clearly slipped by, so my mission was to find a good place to eat and watch the sunset.

The walk there had some interesting contrasts. At 3:54 PM I saw a “Protect the Environment” sign that seemed woefully out of touch next to the massive, disruptive construction going on nearby. Furthermore, the more than twenty boats in the picture also called into question the connection . . . was it meant to be a criticism of all of the boats? Or was it just environmentalist theater?

As if to further illustrate my point, at 4:07 PM I noticed a fancy harbor hotel that had obviously originally been constructed to take advantage of the view of the water, with its ambiance now completely destroyed by the recent massive filling-in of the harbor in order to construct a new mega tourism project.

I continued along my way, and at 4:30 PM I arrived at Le Pont Bungalow for dinner. As you would expect for a place with this view, the food is a bit more expensive than similar options nearby, but the prices were certainly not absurd.

It wasn´t a long wait. At 4:44 PM my food arrived, and the fish, fries, and asparagus all tasted great.

Shortly thereafter at 4:47 PM, a cat came over and sat across from me at the table to watch the sunset. Okay, let’s be real: it was more likely the cat’s table, and I was just sitting at it. Regardless, he was a very good dinner companion.

We watched the last moment of the sun before it was blocked by clouds at 5:08 PM. It wasn’t anything I haven’t seen before, but I was very happy I had come here for my sunset dinner. The fact that it was my last night in Cat Ba somehow made it even better. The ambiance was perfect. No doubt noting that I was wasting my perfectly good bone, my dinner companion jumped down to the floor and waited for me to pass it over.

At 5:37 PM I paid the bill: 225,000 VND ($8.55 USD / 765 INR) via Moreta. For a nice view, decent food, pleasant ambiance, and an adorable cat, it was well worth it.

Dessert and Early to Bed

I decided to head back into town to find a special dessert, and at 6:06 PM I stopped at Chang Dessert and Cake. I ordered a blueberry and cashew smoothie and an almond croissant for 120,000 VND ($4.55 USD), paying via Moreta. Interestingly, this was the first place I’ve gone to in Vietnam that asked me to pay as soon as I ordered.

I finished up at 6:39 PM. I really liked that smoothie; I wondered if I could figure out how to make it when I get back to Bangalore. Having seemingly exhausted my options for the day, I just headed back to the hotel.

However, I wasn´t quite ready to go inside. So, at 6:54 PM I sat on one of the very few public benches in Cat Ba, enjoying the evening view right outside the hotel. I stayed there for a bit over an hour, absorbing the ambiance, finally heading in at 8:00 PM.

I briefly considered packing, but as my pickup for the transfer to Hanoi wouldn´t be until 12:30 PM tomorrow , I decided to just leave it until the morning. Not feeling inclined to do any reading nor any sort of work, despite the relatively early hour, I decided to just turn in for the night. Keeping in line with the general vibe of the day, it was a perfect end to a day of unrushed exploration.

Northern Vietnam Trip: Day 7 (20 December 2025)

Day 7 was a massive day of walking with over 24,000 steps by the end of it! It started with caves and hiking, and ended with wandering through local neighborhoods and what felt like an abandoned movie set.

At 7:23 AM I went down to the front desk and dropped off a kilo of laundry which would cost 50,000 VND ($1.95 USD). Afterward, I started waiting for breakfast, which I hadn’t had at the hotel yesterday. I think it’s included with the room, but honestly, I wasn’t entirely sure. It wasn’t especially attractive looking, but it was fine for simple morning fare.

Right on time at 8:04 AM I was picked up by the tour operator for my morning excursion. This was the one which I had booked through GetYourGuide for 2067 INR ($24.50 USD). Going by the logo on the old army jeep, this tour is operated by Full Moon Travel Asia, and true to the promotional pics, we were decked out with faux army helmets.

The Caves & The Hike

At 8:24 AM we made our first stop, but the Hospital Cave was closed today. No explanation was given, but there were a bunch of army people there, so feel free to make up something exciting. Not to be deterred from some our subterranean exploration, at 8:31 AM we pivoted to “Plan B” and stopped at Trung Trang Cave. There were of course the obligatory stairs, but the ones here were actually very well-maintained.

In case you weren’t aware of how to be a civilized tourist, there was a helpful information board.

Inside the cave (8:47 AM), I noticed that the greenery growing on the walls was actually a direct result of the artificial lights; is was this a minor environmental concern or just an interesting tidbit? It was certainly pleasant enough inside, but by this point I think I was starting to be a bit jaded by limestone caves . . . I wasn’t yet quite as dismissive as I can get after a few days of cathedrals in Europe, but I was getting there.

At 9:00 AM I was already out. Of particular note, I felt that this was a very “tourist-friendly” cave for the casual traveler, complete with a cafe and restaurant right at the exit. The stairs in good-repair, paved walkway, generally high ceilings and thoughtful lighting were all much appreciated.

Walking along the side of the road at 9:03 AM, my guide gave me a travel tip. He recommended Ha Giang for a future trip. He says it’s similar to Sapa but not nearly as developed, and there’s an old town nearby as well. I realize that’s not particularly relevant to this particular island, but hey, maybe keep it in mind if you had already been thinking of going to Sapa?

At 9:21 AM, after a short ride in the Jeep, we arrived at the entrance to the hiking trail of Cat Ba National Park. There were various signs with rather obvious advice/requests that made me pause and wonder: Do they really need a sign that says “Please don’t pee on the floor”? I mean the bathrooms weren’t particularly fancy looking, still . . . From the map, it looks like you might be able to walk to Viet Hai village from here, but it’s a 12 km trek. We started our hike/walk at 9:25 AM.

At 9:36 AM the guide pointed out an edible leaf called nanook, and then shortly thereafter at 9:49 AM I noticed the guide was walking barefoot. He explained that he does this to connect to the “chi” of the forest. That all sounded very spiritual, but remembering the leeches from a couple of days earlier, I decided that I didn’t want to be all that connected. Upon reaching our obligatory stairs, I noted that they weren’t quite as nice as the ones from earlier in the day, but they nevertheless seemed to be evenly constructed and initially at least weren’t too difficult to manage.

However, at 10:09 AM as we neared the top, I felt like they intentionally make the last bit much more difficult just to test you. But it was pretty, so that seemed like a reasonable trade off.

After some pictures, we started heading down at 10:25 AM, and I initially thought that the steps were much easier on the descent. However, at 10:31 AM I realized that it had all been a ruse. I had been fooled by a false summit! The bit of climbing was much more difficult, but just ten minutes later we had made it.

Being well-connected to the chi of the forest, this was an easy feat for our guide, but despite his entreaties to do the same, we both declined.
I’m the king of the World!

Once we had our victory pics, there wasn’t much of a reason to continue hanging out at the highest point, so at 10:43 AM actually began our descent. Looking over the edge at 10:48 AM, I could see the gate where we originally entered somewhere way down below, thus emphasizing just how far we had come.

At 11:14 AM we were back down at the restaurant/cafe area at the entrance, departing soon after. We then had a quick stop at a random roadside park at 11:39 AM. I wasn’t sure if we were there to see the goats or the view of the ocean, but it was another opportunity for me to get a picture with my fake army helmet, so you know, why not?

I was dropped off in the center of town at 12:12 PM. Since there had been only two of us on the tour, I gave the guide a 100,000 VND ($3.90 USD) tip.

Admittedly this adds nothing substantial to the post, but I liked this Christmas tree just outside where I was dropped off, so it’s getting included.

The Beaches and Free Food

At 12:18 PM I started randomly walking, and by 12:27 PM I had arrived at a beach, but I wasn’t interested as there was absolutely no shade. Otherwise, I might have gone down for a bit. Who am I kidding? It was way too cool to be on the beach, and I certainly wasn’t going to swim. However, I could see the appeal it might have for others.

Then at 12:30 PM I spotted a path off to the left and thought, Well, maybe if I take that way…

At 12:41 PM I had a realization: you don’t really have to go to difficult-to-access places to see beautiful things. Here on this well-maintained path (I think heading toward Cat Co 2 Beach), there were amazing ocean views, stunning limestone formations, and lush vegetation.

By 12:51 PM I was admiring the beaches. Although the water was a bit darker than some other places I’ve been, it was certainly beautiful. If I were with someone else, I think I would actually get in. Instead, at 1:00 PM, I just sat for a while on a rock overlooking the ocean.

I decided to walk again at 1:30 PM and was back up from the beaches by 1:35 PM, immediately heading back to town. Unexpectedly, At 1:45 PM I randomly ran into my travel companion from my morning tour and his friend. He asked if I’d be willing to finish his chicken spring roll, because he didn’t want to waste it. I said yes, and then ordered a Hanoi pork dish for myself. He even ordered me a passion fruit juice, which was a very nice gesture. Foolishly thinking that I would remember his name, I didn’t write it down. But I figured that his gesture merited a picture being included, even if not from that exact moment in the day.

They left at 2:16 PM, and I moved to a seat in the shade to finish my meal. At 2:52 PM I was pleased to realize that the soup broth was incredible tasting. I paid my 80,000 VND ($3.15 USD) portion of the bill via Moreta and continued to meander.

Coffee, Local Life, and The Movie Set

At 3:26 PM I wandered up a loop road from the main street that is full of different restaurants and cafes.

I decided to stop at “Startup Cafe & Restaurant” at 3:40 PM to try a salt coffee. It was fantastic. At 4:08 PM I went back for round two and got a chocolate with egg cream. I was tempted to get another coffee but decided that was probably a bad idea for my heart rate and even worse for my sleep. I really liked both drinks.

I paid 75,000 VND ($2.95 USD) at 4:31 PM and left. After a brief stop at my room at 4:55 PM, I was back out at 5:10 PM, walking around the lake.

At 5:17 PM I saw some local men playing volleyball beside the lake. They have nets set up to keep the ball from going into the water or the street. They seemed to be playing quite competitively, but in a friendly manner. While relatively unremarkable, this memory sticks with me as having somehow been momentous . . .

Near where they were playing, I liked the mini grapefruit tree planted in front of a small temple. With a billiards room nearby and simple eateries, this felt like where the people of Cat Ba village actually live. Of course, I was probably just overly romanticizing the moment.

I found a road in the back (5:25 PM) that goes behind the hotels. The wind was picking up and it was starting to get a little chilly, so I put on my long-sleeve shirt which I had packed into my shoulder bag. Walking down this road at 5:40 PM, I noticed several houses with simple glass front doors left wide open, looking directly into their living rooms or even what appeared to be bedrooms.

At 5:59 PM I sat down to try and book my transport back to Hanoi. I stared at my phone for five minutes, didn’t book anything, and just continued walking. I guess the view had been more interesting than my phone.

Shortly thereafter, at 6:21 PM I stumbled onto this odd, half-constructed, mostly empty yet well-let tourism/park area near the fountain. Almost everything was closed or appeared to have never been occupied. But despite the sounds of construction continuing even at this hour, it was unnervingly peaceful.

Despite, being extremely clean and well-constructed, it felt like there was something off. No, it wasn’t exactly scary, but something was wrong? Then it hit me at 6:31 PM. It was like a movie set, or perhaps like when I used to walk with my dog during lockdown. No that’s not right; it was like when the main character from Pluribus used to go around town, pretending that it was normal to still go to the grocery store which existed in the absurdly fully functional city which had been left behind just for her. All the lights were on, but nobody was home . . .

I finally found a place to sit down at 6:35 PM. Possibly because there are no actual humans present, this zone is not very friendly for people needing to rest. While sitting there, at 6:56 PM, I finally sent the request for my transport to Hanoi for Monday (12:30 PM pickup). At 7:14 PM the confirmation came through. I paid $11.33 USD with my Indian card. Logistics sorted.

Ice Cream to End the Day

I decided to leave the weird movie-set area at 7:17 PM, and at 7:22 PM the wind had really picked up; I was very glad I had that long-sleeve shirt on.

Look! I made it back to the land of people!

Despite the crisp breeze, I allowed myself to be seduced by some tempting pictures, and at 7:45 PM I stopped at what seemed to be some sort of ice cream place. I wasn’t sure if they were actually open or going to serve me, as it seemed like nobody worked there. I stood there for five minutes with nothing happening, but there was a family from Spain sitting and eating, so I figured I would just be patient. Finally, at 7:51 PM, a woman wearing a paper mask came out. I ordered coconut ice cream, a coconut salted egg cream, and a small bottle of water.

I paid 100,000 VND ($3.90 USD) via Moreta at 8:32 PM and headed toward my place.

I walked back into my room at 8:43 PM, checking my phone to see I had logged exactly 24,511 steps today! Time for some sleep.

Northern Vietnam Trip: Day 6 (19 December 2025)

Day 6 was the big “Cruise Day” in Lan Ha Bay; if you have ever spoken to anyone who has visited northern Vietnam in the past several years, there is a very good chance that they have been on one of these day cruises. It had incredible scenery (I am serious; it really was!), a fantastic guide, and a few moments where I questioned my life choices (specifically regarding my wardrobe and my kayaking skills).

I was out the door by 7:28 AM.

Morning Panic & Wardrobe Malfunctions

At 7:41 AM I stopped at Nam Phuong for a croissant and a white coffee. Originally, the hotel was going to get breakfast for me (at 7:28 AM), but there was some confusion about whether or not it contained seafood. I went into full “alarm mode,” especially when I realized the guy was just going to run to another shop down the street to buy it for me. I decided to take control of the situation myself.

Unlike what seems to be the norm in Vietnam, they requested the 75,000 VND ($2.95 USD) before serving it, which I paid via Moreta. No doubt this was more expensive than I would pay at a local place, but peace of mind has a price, and in this case it wasn’t very much at that. While sipping my coffee at 8:02 AM, I noticed a weird phenomenon. About 85% of the people here were wearing what I would call Autumn or even Winter clothes (It’s called foreshadowing). The other 15%, who were overwhelmingly obviously foreigners, were wearing beach clothes.

I felt a bit silly because I was firmly in that “beach clothes” category (rocking my pillowy sandals, which I am really liking, by the way). But the tour company representative HAD insisted this is what I was supposed to wear. So, here I was, shivering slightly and having serious doubts about whether a cruise with kayaking was the best idea for today. But that’s the whole point of coming to Cat Ba, right?

At 8:10 AM, while waiting, I decided to be productive and booked a morning Cat Ba National Park tour for a later date via GetYourGuide, paying 2,067 INR ($24.50 USD). It just seemed easier than managing the transport on my own.

The Boat & The “Low Season”

From the cafe, it was a a short walk, and as I had been instructed, I made sure to be there promptly at 8:30 AM. We were picked up at 8:40 AM and dropped at the harbor. They say this is “low season,” but there were still a lot of people. Just in my group, there were about 20 of us. With that in mind, coming during “high season” (whenever that is) may not be the best idea. Still, if many more people come, there must be other attractions that overrule the “too many people” argument.

We boarded at 8:57 AM. Immediately, two things annoyed me:

  1. The Towel: At 8:59 AM they announced they would lend us towels. Yesterday, the woman had specifically told me that I HAD to bring one, so I went out and bought one. A small thing, but annoying.
  2. The Cave: At 9:01 AM they dropped the bomb: there is no kayaking in the cave anymore. Government authorities stopped it a month ago. That feels like an important detail that should have been mentioned when I booked, not once I’m already on the boat. I mean it wasn’t exactly their fault, but it sort of felt like a bit of a bait and switch. However, as the switch had already taken place, and I was already on the boat . . . It seems unlikely that this will be permitted again anytime soon, so keep that in mind if it matters to you.

At 9:15 AM we were moved around so that those of us who don’t eat seafood could sit at the same table. They seemed a bit obsessed with this, and there were several other divisions taking place at other tables. With so few people I sort of thought that we could figure it out on our own, but otherwise, one table seemed as good as another.

Sitting there, I had a moment of reflection. Honestly, I think I would have liked to come here with a friend or one of my siblings. Traveling solo is fine, and sometimes better when you just want to reconnect with yourself. Still, when you are in a place this beautiful, it’s nice to share it. I have mentioned the idea to my family a few times, but for financial reasons or just lack of interest, so far they haven’t come. Traveling isn’t for everyone, I suppose.

The boat crew was pushing drinks hard at 9:28 AM (they aren’t included). I noticed the hammock chairs on deck were very comfortable, and also mostly protected from the sun, but they were terrible for actually seeing the view. So, despite the pleasant conversation with a charming woman from Zimbabwe, after a few minutes I donned my full protective gear and moved to a different area.

The Bay & The Swim That Wasn’t

By 9:36 AM we were cruising. The water was very calm, and the scenery was amazing. These limestone karsts are just everywhere in the Bay. I feel like the static pictures don’t do a great job of showing this, but this short video might give a bit more of an idea.

At 10:11 AM the guide, whose name is Jack (real name Loon), told us the water is completely clean and safe, with no sharks, jellyfish nor anything sharp. However, looking at the dark water at 10:19 AM, I wasn’t fully convinced. Also, it still seemed a bit chilly. If I had been with someone else, perhaps I would have jumped in. But solo? Into cold, dark water just to say I did it? Nah. I know some people are huge fans of swimming in the sea, but I stayed dry. Several other people seemed to think similarly (10:26 AM), so I wasn’t the only one just hanging out on the deck. However, feel free to imagine that I am one of the people seen swimming in the distance.

By 11:11 AM swimming time was over.

History, Geology & Lunch

Once everyone was back on deck, Jack gave us a great rundown of the area and some general information:

  • Tourism: Started here in 1994. In high season, this boat holds 100 people (today we have 26). Yes, 26 seemed like very few, but I felt like 100 would have been a nightmare.
  • Geology: There are about 4,000 karsts here. 90% of Cat Ba is a UNESCO heritage site.
  • Weather: He said it gets up to 45°C (113°F) here in the summer. For him, autumn is the best time. Note to self, DON’T come here in Vietnamese summer!

Lunch was served at 11:38 AM, and by 12:35 PM we were done. It was quite pleasant, and the people at my table were nice.

Looking out at the islands at 12:40 PM, it felt like a fairy tale. Or, more accurately, like a Windows screensaver from 2010. It’s that kind of perfect, surreal beauty. Even without swimming, I highly recommend coming here just to see it.

The Kayaking Incident

At 1:10 PM it was time for sea kayaking.

Don’t let the smile fool you. It was mostly because we had made it back to the boat without me going into a full body muscle spasm.

Well, that was interesting. And by interesting, I mean I probably won’t be doing it again. I am technically not good at kayaking. To make matters worse, at 2:32 PM I started getting an abdominal cramp. As someone who unfortunately has had quite a bit of experience with terrible muscle cramps, I went into full panic mode, which definitely made my coordination worse. Fortunately, the guy I was paired with was very patient and basically did all the work. We made it back without major incident, but my contribution was mostly moral support (and mild terror).

Culture Lessons with Jack

Our guide Jack was a bit of a comedian.

  • He explained (3:04 PM) that the Vietnamese words for “Thank you” and “Shut up” sound very similar to foreign ears, which leads to funny situations.
  • He joked (3:11 PM) that the way Dutch people say “Let’s do it” sounds exactly like “F*** you” in Vietnamese, so he always thinks Dutch tourists are swearing at him.
  • He gave us a history lesson (2:53 PM) on how the Vietnamese defeated the Mongols in 1087 by trapping their large ships using local knowledge of the tides.

The Fish Farm & Sunset

At 4:04 PM we visited a floating fish farm. They have massive fish here. Some are 7-8 years old and over a meter long. The meat costs 400,000 VND ($15.70 USD) a kilo. You can get an idea in this video.

I learned about Cobia and Butter Fish (4:27 PM). Jack was honest about the environmental impact, noting that sea farms have waste management issues just like fresh water farms. Believe it or not, the whole fish farm visit was may more enjoyable than you might think. I was quite happy that we had stopped here.

By 4:40 PM the weather was getting much cooler, and I finally regretted my “beach clothes” decision. I kind of wished I had a jacket. However, they timed the return perfectly. At 4:50 PM we hit “golden hour,” and the sunset over the floating villages (home to 200 families) was wonderful.

We were off the boat at 5:25 PM. I gave Jack a 100,000 VND ($3.90 USD) tip back at the office. I didn’t feel pressured to do so, but I honestly felt he had done a great job. So, if you book a tour with Cat Ba Ventures, ask for Jack.

Dinner: Squid & Ginger

Rather than heading straight back to the room, I decided to wander around the main area of the tourist area for a bit.

For dinner, I went to Thao Minh Restaurant at 5:48 PM. I decided to keep it simple, ordering steamed squid with ginger.

The food had a cost of 140,000 VND ($5.50 USD) and was quite tasty. Nearby, I also grabbed a large 5-liter water jug for 40,000 VND ($1.55 USD). I was back in the room by 6:35 PM. Interestingly, despite having been told to save my ticket this morning to show later on, nobody had ever asked for it again. Fearing that I would lose it, I had taken a picture of it.

I spent the rest of the evening working on the blog until 9:20 PM. It had been a long, beautiful, and at times . . . a surprisingly chilly day.

Despite not being needed as “a towel,” my purchase from the previous day had been invaluable while serving as a shawl later on during the boat trip and then also while having dinner.

Northern Vietnam Trip: Day 5 (18 December 2025)

Perhaps a bit worried about today’s travel, I sort of woke up at 4:45 AM but didn’t actually get up until 6:40 AM. Despite some internal debate about whether or not I should actually be moving on from Ninh Binh, I finished packing and getting ready to head out the door. My time here had been good, both at the hotel itself and also at Tam Coc in general, but I also reasoned that other parts of northern Vietnam would also have much to offer.

Throughout my stay here, I several times was tempted to ask for more of an explanation about the purpose and the components of this alter, but for whatever reason, I didn’t.

At 7:30 AM I sat down for my last breakfast at the homestay. I stuck to the routine: fried egg with bread, a banana and mango juice, and of course, the milk coffee.

Had I been at home, I suspect that I would have found this breakfast to be uninspiring and perhaps even unappetizing, but I suppose that is the spell of being in a new place . . . here it seemed perfect.

I just hung out there enjoying the morning quiet until 8:35 AM, when I walked the short distance up to the main road to wait for my pick-up. As my homestay was down a rather narrow street, the driver had texted me the day before to request that I meet the transport there rather than right at the entrance to my lodging.

The Journey to Cat Ba

At 8:50 AM I was picked up by the Cat Ba Express, which I had booked before coming to Vietnam for $13.39 USD. The ride was expected to take about 5 hours. It was a standard Pullman bus; it was perfectly fine for this distance, though by 10:58 AM I noted that while comfortable, they were keeping the cabin a bit warmer than I would have liked. As often happens while travelling, I was stuck how much of the countryside scenery could have been from numerous other places I have been around the world.

We made a 20-minute rest stop at 11:10 AM. I noticed that the shop here had something that looked very much like tamales. I didn’t try one, but I made a mental note to ask about that later. In case you are wondering, I never did ask, so if you know, I would be happy to know what they are.

There to the left, you can see what look very similar to banana leaf wrapped Costa Rican tamales . . .

At 11:30 AM sharp we were back in the bus and continuing on our way.

The Ferry Crossing

At 12:26 PM the driver stopped at what looked like a ticket counter. I thought to myself, “Are they going to drive this entire full-sized bus onto a ferry?” The answer was yes, and by 12:40 PM, that’s exactly what had happened.

The ferry itself seemed to move very slowly across the extremely calm water. The distance is quite short, and my inner engineer started debating why they haven’t built a bridge yet. It seems like it would make more sense, but maybe that’s way more expensive/complicated than I realize. Perhaps the water is too deep? On a positive note, I checked the snacks and drinks sold on the ferry and they seemed very reasonably priced, which surprised me for a captive audience situation.

We drove off the ferry at 1:03 PM. The whole process had been quite comfortable, and my first impression of the island was that it really was beautiful. I was already thinking I might stay here a couple more days, but only time would tell. I also noted that the island was much larger than I had originally understood, with lots of small limestone islands off the coast. The road we were on (1:22 PM) was very high quality. We stopped briefly for gas at 1:27 PM and were on our way again by 1:34 PM. So far, everywhere looked very nice.

I wondered about these cable cars, which were an alternate way to get to the island from the mainland.

Arrival and The “New” Hotel

I got off the bus at 1:42 PM and walked the short distance to my hotel. I was in the room by 1:53 PM, but it took a bit longer than expected to find it because they had changed the name. I had booked it (4151 INR or $45.26 USD for 4 nights on Agoda) as MB Central Hotel, but it is now called Oriio Hotel. Just a heads-up for anyone following in my footsteps! It was objectively a bit nicer than my homestay in Tam Coc, but both had doubtless been great bargains.

At 2:37 PM I departed from the hotel to sort out my logistics for the next day.

First things first: at 3:04 PM I paid 946,000 VND ($37.00 USD) via Moreta for tomorrow’s trip with Cat Ba Ventures.

Then came the shopping. I needed beach gear, so I went on a bit of a spree, despite not actually spending all that much.

At 3:05 PM I paid 250,000 VND ($9.80 USD) for simple foam sliders and swim trunks. I know I paid too much, but it’s fine. Convenience has a price. Shortly thereafter, also in the general market area, I bought sun sleeves for 50,000 VND ($1.95 USD). Taking a bit longer to find, at 4:32 PM I bought spray sunblock for 180,000 VND ($7.05 USD) using Moreta. And then I finished up meager purchasing expedition at 4:46 PM when I paid 100,000 VND ($3.90 USD) for a simple towel. With the exception of the sunblock, all of my purchases had taken place via pointing, gestures, and bargaining via dueling prices shown on smartphone screens. Despite the relatively early hour, the day was clearly coming to an end, so I went back to the room to drop off my purchases.

Dinner at Bien Dong

I quickly dropped my purchases in the room, and immediately set out once more, this time primarily focused on finding a place to have dinner.

I was pleased to see that it would be easy to get laundry done.
In much of Asia, it is very common to see tanks like this wherever seafood/fish is served.
I was pleased that I didn’t need dental work done, as I didn’t think I would particularly enjoy having it done in such an exposed place.

At 5:56 PM I finally stopped at a place called Nha Hang Hai San Bien Dong (Bien Dong Restaurant). I ordered water spinach (which I think was some sort of morning glory) with garlic, a Hanoi Beer, and fish in spicy sauce.

At 7:04 PM I paid the bill of 205,000 VND ($8.00 USD) via Moreta. It was an amazingly huge and delicious meal. I counted this as a win for the first night on the island. It was a leisurely walk from there, and I was back at the room by 7:29 PM, ready to rest up for the tour tomorrow.

Northern Vietnam Trip: Day 4 (17 December 2025)

Hey there faithful readers, thanks for your patience with my posts about the recent trip to Vietnam. As I have mentioned frequently, it takes a lot more time to do these than you might imagine. Ideally I know I would post at the end of each day, but when I am actually really just enjoying myself in the moment, that frequently doesn’t work out as theoretically planned. Still, my travel notes are quite detailed, and looking back with a bit of a lapse in time also sometimes is a bit fun for me, as I relive the day in my memory.

In general terms, day 4 was a day of simply wandering around, exploring a few caves, and reflection on what appears to be the local obsession with ranking everything. As I had nothing actually planned, I took it slow this morning. At 8:55 AM I went down for breakfast at the hotel and just took my time enjoying the moment.

It wasn’t until 10:03 AM that I finally finished up (Yes, I was also surprised that I somehow stretched out the simple breakfast that long) and decided to hit the bathroom once more (always a strategic move) and then head over to Bich Dong. I was out walking by 10:29 AM.

Bich Dong Pagoda

I used Google maps for the walking instructions, and despite some rather hysterical past experiences I have had with this feature, this was once when the route was much appreciated.

Don’t get too excited. That wasn’t my hotel.

I arrived at Bich Dong around 11:07 AM. One thing I’ve noticed is that the “ranking” of places seems to be a big deal here. In this case, near the entrance, Bich Dong proudly displayed that it had the second most beautiful cave in Vietnam, thus validating its importance. The entrance itself, I think was enough to invite visitors, even without the official ranking.

At 11:10 AM I was inside the actual Pagoda. I loved these “cause and effect” religious posters, even though several of the scenarios don’t seem to make sense to my eyes. Still, they are fascinatingly specific about consequences.

At 11:25 AM, as I moved on past the initial “welcome garden” I noted that most places here only have signs in Vietnamese. It adds to the mystery, I suppose, but it seems like they might consider putting in one or two other languages. Perhaps most foreign tourists just don’t visit here? However, they had gone to the trouble of making sure that we would understand the consequences of all of our actions, so I’m not sure what was going on with that.

As I started climbing at 11:30 AM, I had a familiar thought. The implicit message of these places is “no worship nor tourism for the weak, old or disabled.” I mean, it’s all very beautiful, but so much is completely inaccessible for those with even minor special needs. That said, the stairs here were in good repair and not insanely uneven. I did notice that with some assistance, even a man with a cane was able to manage, as there weren’t too many steps. Certainly, this was physically much easier to manage than other spots I’ve been to recently.

As I was walking up, I saw there was something else up the other side. I was on the left side at that moment. Going further in, at 11:45 AM I noticed the incense they use here are these large spirals that hang down. Based on what I have seen in other places, that seems to be the standard temple incense in this region.

Then at 11:54 AM, I also wondered about the purpose of a small artificial pool to the side of the highest structure to the left. It was clearly artificial, and incense seemed to have also been burnt next to it. A ritual spot, perhaps?

At 12:05 PM I remember something about the terminology of these sites. I think they make the distinction that all of this is supposed to be a “Pagoda,” not a temple. It’s some sort of religious difference that I don’t really understand, even though it is probably quite obvious to others. Regardless, I am not certain that the cave was the second most beautiful in Vietnam, but it was certainly interesting.

The Caves to the Right

I went back down to the entry area to figure out how to go up to the right side. Wandering around a bit near the exit, I was able to see this area with what appeared to be weeping willows, that was very pretty, but I think the photos don’t really do it justice.

I don’t think “the right” is actually part of the official Pagoda complex, but it’s right next to it. At 12:13 PM I found the way: you go through the little entry to the bicycle parking area. I started up at 12:19 PM and ran into some Spanish tourists who told me that there’s a very interesting cave, but a bit hard to navigate if you don’t know any Vietnamese.

At 12:31 PM, after going up some stairs and then down again, I reached the entrance to the aforementioned cave.

It costs 30,000 VND ($1.15 USD) to enter the cave itself. The scenery outside was already beautiful, but as I was already there and had nothing else planned, I paid to go in. I think this video does a better job of showing the experience than the pictures. As far as I could tell, there were all sorts of things inside which were really supposed to impress me, but for most of the time I was just sort of low-level terrified that the guy would run off with his flashlight and leave me stranded in the completely unlit space. To ward off this horror movie possibility, I tried to make non-committal sounds of appreciation during his spiel.

Wow! At 12:45 PM I emerged. That whole experience was a bit crazy. It’s certainly worth the money, but definitely a bit “adventure style.” For sure, if you are REMOTELY claustrophobic, or even particularly imaginative, maybe don’t go in here. On a separate note, for some reason, the hollow where the cave sits seemed to be much warmer than the surrounding area.

Based on my comments, these tourists decided to give the cave a pass.

I finished up at Bich Dong at 1:11 PM and started meandering back in the general direction of my homestay. However, this time around I was not following any specific map directions, even though I realized that this approach had the potential to end up with me being lost. However, there were still several hours of daylight, so I figured it would be fine.

So, similar to what I saw a couple of times in Sri Lanka, it seems that graves can be placed in lots of different places in northern Vietnam. There doesn’t seem to be a strict requirement for it to be a “graveyard”. Maybe this is a Buddhist thing?

The Fairy Cave & The Cemeteries

At 1:33 PM I saw another set of stone stairs and asked myself, “So, where do these go?” Despite now appearing to be abandoned, clearly at some time in the past, a lot of time, effort, and even money had gone into constructing them. I mean there was even a handrail! Was it private property? As there was no sign warning people off, I decided to go up and check it out.

There was one moment in which I sort of had to crawl, but otherwise it was reasonably accessible. Given that there was an exit sign in English, clearly at some time in the past this had been a bit of an attraction, but that appears to no longer be the case. Nevertheless, probably precisely because it was mostly abandoned, visiting here had seemed like a bit of a secret treat.

The accessible area was rather small, so I finished up there at 1:49 PM and continued along my meandering path, still being mindful of the time. And then just a bit further along the way (at 1:55 PM) I arrived at Linh Coc Dong Tien Pagoda, and I was pleased to see someone in a walker, so evidently at least part of the area is a bit more accessible to people with some minor special mobility needs. The funny thing was that it was incredibly close, but due to the karst, I would have never seen it nor had any idea it was there.

There was a bit of a worship area there right after the gate, but a woman quickly approached me with a flyer in English indicating that the main attraction here was the “Fairy cave” which would have a cost of 20,000 VND ($0.75 USD) to visit. She didn’t speak English, but the flyer was clear as was her pointing to . . . you guessed it, another flight of stone stairs.

I was done with the whole Fairy Cave visit at 2:22 PM and then headed down the stairs to look around the rest of the installations. It was definitely worth the 20,000 VND. I think it is much more beautiful than the one where I paid 30,000, but also much less “adventuresome.” So, it’s a trade-off. There had been no ranking listed for this cave, but of the four caverns/caves I had seen today, I would say this was objectively the most beautiful, but a lot of that might have just been good lighting. The gardens and lower-level worship area were also quite nice. I was particularly intrigued by this berries/fruits/flowers on this one bush; I had first thought they were artificial decorations. Really it was all very lovely.

Especially from a distance, these looked like decorative lights.

This pagoda was the end of the line for the path I had gone down, so the only option was to turn around and head back along the same route. At 2:37 PM, as I started down the peaceful path, I thought it might be nice to check out the building I had seen sort of in the middle of a lake, next to a different karst, when I had come down from the “secret cavern”. It had seemed like a strange place to build a house, and there was also no obvious easy access besides a relatively narrow footpath.

Peeking in over the fence at 2:41 PM, I realized that what I had thought was a small house, was actually some sort of a small cemetery, or perhaps just a family burial plot? Continuing along the narrow footpath, at 2:56 PM, I realized that this flood plain (or whatever it is) seems to be the place to be when you are dead. There were several of these isolated burial spots. However, at 2:58 PM I realized at least part of this area is also being used as a farm. So, there you go, life and death, side by side.

Shortly thereafter, I came across which was clearly a much larger communal graveyard. The odd thing from my point of view, both with this much larger burial site and the many isolated ones I had seen, was that while it was obvious that A LOT had been spent on many of the initial tombs, the great majority of the graves didn’t actually appear to be that well-maintained. It would have been one thing if the graves were clearly ancient, but several of them were rather recent. Furthermore, even in the much larger burial site, there didn’t seem to be a clear pattern of organization. It is hard to show these things in pictures, but this video might give a better idea.

At 3:12 I was out of the graveyard and into either some sort of a neighborhood, or maybe a town? I think this whole graveyard/farm/village is on the same little island, but I couldn’t tell if it was water reservoir or a natural lake or some sort.

Then at 3:20 PM I recognized that I somehow was back on the main road I had used when I had originally walked to Bich Dong. There were a couple of these government propaganda signs that just seemed weird. They are so simplistic by today’s standards, that at one point earlier on in my trip I had thought that it wasn’t really a government sign, but rather just some sort of art installation or maybe even an intentionally ironic statement? However, several people assured me that this was not the case. Perhaps the art style itself inspires patriotism?

Dinner & Egg Coffee

The rest of my walk was uneventful but pleasant. At 3:44 PM I was back in the obvious general area of my room and decided that I would have a nice early dinner, given that I had not eaten any lunch. After some internal debate and looking at what was available, at 3:44 PM I decided to eat at Hoang Cuisine. At the server’s recommendation, I ordered the pork with quail eggs and a bottle of water.

At 4:48 PM I paid 164,000 VND ($6.25 USD) via the Moreta app at 4:48 PM. From there I walked nearby to the other place when I had eaten several times while in Tam Coc and ordered an egg coffee, a draft beer, and a Nutella pancake. (Don’t judge the combination). I was seated facing out towards the street, and somehow ended up just sitting there relaxing until 6:36 PM, when I paid 102,000 VND ($3.90 USD), once more using Moreta to pay.

It was a quick walk back to my room, where I arrived at 6:41 PM, where I worked on this travel blog (but not this entry which came more than a month later!) until 9:55 PM, finally going to sleep at 10:00 PM.

And that was my last full day in Tam Coc. Again, the various cave and cavern pictures didn’t do a good job of showing how things looked, but did you have a favorite? Do you have any idea about what is going on with all of those expensive tombs which don’t seem well-maintained? What about any special insights on the propaganda signs? Let me know your thoughts below, and keep following along if you want to see where I went next!

Northern Vietnam Trip: Day 3 (16 December 2025)

Hey there followers, I am getting them out slowly, but when I have the time, am trying to continue with information about this current trip to Vietnam. I could no doubt get the writing done quicker, but honestly, I am just enjoying my time wandering around, exploring, and enjoying my vacation.

Day 3 I had breakfast again at the Homestay at 7:30 AM. Today I opted for the fried eggs, which once more they did perfectly. For drinking, I stuck with the winning formula of coffee with milk and fresh pineapple juice.

It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was a good breakfast before I headed up to the main road to be picked up at 8:05 AM. I had just a ten-minute wait before being picked up at 8:15 AM. Today’s transport was more of a “limousine bus” than a large private car.

At 8:18 AM I noted that the sky was overcast again, but the temperature wasn’t even that cold. In fact, several people in the vehicle were wearing short-sleeved t-shirts and shorts. We had a brief pause at 8:21 AM while someone tried to get cash, and then we were properly underway. I might have heard this wrong, but I think our guide’s name is Pung. At 8:57 AM there was a bit of comedy, as he realized that they had accidentally picked up someone from another tour, so we had to turn around and leave them where they had been picked up! 😂

The road in this section, which we hit around 9:14 AM, was poor quality, but the van handled it well.

The Primate Rescue Center

When we arrived at Cuc Phuong National Park at 9:58 AM, I decided to leave my jacket in the vehicle. I paid 200,000 VND ($7.60 USD) to the guide for the park entry fee, as it was cash only. He just went and bought the tickets for us. (Side note: another traveler with the group told me about the Moreta app which apparently lets you pay by scanning QR codes even as a foreigner. This is something which I planned on checking out once I had better signal; although, I expected that it wouldn’t work as seamlessly as he had suggested. Who know though, maybe yes?

We entered the welcome center at 10:10 AM, where information was available in Vietnamese, French, and English. It was well-done, but sort of like reading a short book, but with the pages on the wall.

By 10:24 AM we headed into the first area: the Endangered Primate Rescue Center. At 10:32 AM we watched them preparing leaves for the monkeys. Supposedly that is all they eat, sort of like Koalas only eating one particular type of leaves. I don’t however know if that is accurate.

Interestingly, we were required to put on surgical masks at 10:33 AM to protect the monkeys from our germs, not the other way around.

Pung (If I have his name right) gave us some sobering statistics about the wildlife here. There are two very endangered long-tail monkeys in Vietnam. This center rehabilitates them to reintroduce them to the wild. Gibbons, I learned at 10:44 AM, don’t have tails. At 10:46 AM, we learned there are only 300 Delacour’s langurs left in the wild. Doing a bit better, there are roughly 1,500 Grey langurs left in the wild. Most shockingly, at 11:04 AM, he told us there are only 90 Cat Ba langurs left in nature. Notably, it seemed that the Gibbons were doing fine, or at least the ones that live in Vietnam. Again though, I have not verified any of this information. Nevertheless, the details made the visit more interesting.

As far as I could tell, this center generally only releases juveniles born there, as adults kept in captivity too long cannot be successfully reintroduced. We left the primate center at 11:12 AM. There is also a pangolin rescue center (these are evidently only nocturnal) and a turtle conservation center nearby, making this a major hub for rescue efforts.

The Cave of Prehistoric Man

Back in the vehicle at 11:27 AM, I noticed that unlike yesterday, people here seemed to return to the same seats. That’s not a major revelation, but it’s always interesting to see how people react differently. We were back out at 11:40 AM to explore the forest, which boasts 2,400 species of trees. At 11:51 AM, after climbing 200 steep steps, we reached the Cave of Prehistoric Man. There are tombs here dating back 7,000 years. Some local people still leave offerings here.

Inside the cave (12:08 PM) was very interesting. I’m not sure how they knew it was inhabited by humans in the past except for the tombs they found. There was a ladder going to a higher level that people used to use, but it’s broken now. The cave wasn’t huge but definitely more than just an entryway; there was one part where we had to crouch low to get in.

We were back in the vehicle at 12:20 PM. At 12:33 PM I once again noted that you really can’t see that well out of the side windows of these tourist vans. I noticed this yesterday as well. The windows are tinted, and with the overcast weather and the way the windows also tend to fog up, you miss a lot of the view. Today’s group was very quiet (12:38 PM), with several napping while moving.

At 12:43 PM where we had stopped for lunch, I got unreasonably excited: I finally saw someone playing Balatro on their phone in real life. I have heard so many tech journalists talking about it, but this was the first time I had actually seen! The family-style lunch was done by 1:34 PM.

This has nothing to do with this trip, but a family from Australia suggested that I should check out Crystal Springs near Orlando in order to see manatees. If that is true, I definitely would like to go there the next time I am in the area. I have tried to see manatees a couple of time in Costa Rica, but they are very elusive.

The Jungle Trek and the Leeches

We started the jungle walk at 1:41 PM. As explained by the guide, at 1:46 PM we passed a sort of open space in the jungle, which evidently are tombs under the trees. He explained that the trees in this forest escaped being cut down because of the tombs which are evidently all around, which belong to the Muong ethnic group. In general, if you come across sort of circular small clearings in this forest, those are tombs, but there are evidently a lot of other places as well which are not as easily identifiable.

At 2:02 PM I noticed lots of dead snails, apparently due to the heavy rains a couple of months back. Then came the leeches . . . At 2:12 PM, just a couple of people found leeches on them. Fortunately, it had not rained for a couple of days, as apparently when it is wetter, they are everywhere. While I was a bit repulsed on principle, it was interesting to see how they move; it wasn’t like I thought at all. They look a bit more than an inch long and rather than crawling like caterpillars, they somehow stand on their end and completely fold their bodies in half to move quickly.

I got a picture with a “Big Tree” (only 300 years old) and then an “Ancient Tree” (700 years old) at 2:45 PM. Honestly, once the whole leech thing started, it was a bit hard to enjoy the trek. The trees and all were very beautiful, but I had seen similar in other places. Also, it was hard to pay attention to trying to see different vegetation when I was constantly checking to see if I had some creepy creature going up my leg or somewhere else! Everyone else seemed to have a similar thought, so once we saw “ancient tree” we just concentrated on getting back to the open area.

By 2:58 PM we were done with the “leech check.” I was vaguely nervous because everyone else found at least one on their shoes or somewhere on their body and I didn’t. I just walked back on the concrete path to the vehicle, hoping I hadn’t missed one. In case you are curious, it seems that I somehow lucked out, as I never found any stray ones which I had missed.

We were back in the vehicle at 3:13 PM.

Evening in Ninh Binh

I was dropped off near my place at 4:55 PM, and I decided to try out that app I had heard about earlier. The verification process took a few minutes, but at 5:45 PM I added $50 USD to Moreta and went out to see if I could catch the “dancing aunties” I had seen yesterday. I got there at 5:54 PM and the aunties were there . . . but they weren’t doing anything. Win some, lose some.

At 6:59 PM I stopped at Gia Minh Beer Garden. I ordered stir-fried duck with chili and lemongrass, fresh pork spring rolls, and a draft beer. I paid 196,000 VND ($7.44 USD) at 7:54 PM using the Moreta app, and it worked perfectly.

Shortly thereafter, I was back in the room by 8:02 PM. It had been another solid day in Vietnam. The whole leach thing had of course been a bit off-putting, even though I am not sure why they seem even less appealing than mosquitos. Nevertheless, I was glad that I had not had to directly deal with them. What about your thoughts on leeches? Just another relatively harmful insect, or an object of special disgust? Anyway, thanks for reading along, and I hope to catch you again for more adventures.

Northern Vietnam Trip: Day 2 (15 December 2025)

Day 2 in Vietnam started with the alarm going off at 6:30 AM, but I sort of stayed in bed until 7:00 AM. It’s a holiday, after all.

At 7:42 AM I headed down for breakfast at the homestay. It was a simple spread—pineapple juice, milk coffee, and bread with a boiled egg. I noticed they had a banana that was very similar to what they call a “Kerala banana” in India; they are quite firm, but good. The pineapple juice was clearly fresh, and the coffee was slightly sweetened but not overly so. And I have to give credit where it’s due; the egg was cooked perfectly. Despite its simplicity, breakfast was very good.

At 8:00 AM I got a message from Max, our guide for the day, saying he was on his way. This was for the “Hoa Lu, Bai Dinh, Trang An, & Mua Cave Tour“ I had booked earlier on GetYouGuide for 4,411 INR ($52.30 USD). I left the homestay at 8:10 AM and was in the vehicle by 8:12 AM. We spent some time gathering the group. At 8:43 AM we picked up two more people, making us 11, and I put my phone on airplane mode to save battery. By 8:45 AM we picked up three more, bringing the total to 14.

Our guide “Max”

The Ancient Capital

We reached our first stop at 8:55 AM: Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam. Shortly thereafter at 9:01 AM we were handed tickets to give to the collector literally less than a minute later.

As I understood it, Hoa Lu is now really just a temple. Max explained a bit about the symbolism of the place. At 9:13 AM I noted the flag which has 5 colors. Max said they represent the 5 elements (or maybe he said 5 metals? I missed the exact word).

We learned that after the incense burns down, you take the offering back home and it’s believed to be blessed or lucky. The fake money, however, is burned . . . I wondered why one might not leave real money as an offering and also collect that as lucky/blessed?

At 9:32 AM we got a bit of a history lesson. Evidently, Vietnam used to have a mixed alphabet using Vietnamese and Chinese characters, but they switched to the Latin alphabet, presumably because of colonization, but Max insists it is just easier. It’s also interesting to note that this isn’t strictly Buddhism, but a kind of ancestor worship.

The “Biggest” Everything

Back in the bus at 9:48 AM, we headed to our next stop: Bai Dinh Pagoda, where we arrived at 10:00 AM. Right off, it was clear that this place is massive. At 10:14 AM we were told to keep our tickets this time, then piling into yellow tourism electric cars to be shuttled to the main site at 10:18 AM.

The complex is relatively new, built in 2003. Max explained that while the “temples” are for traditional worship, the Pagodas are Buddhist.

At 10:32 AM I noticed dark marks on the statues of the Arhats; I asked about that and was told it is from people touching them for luck.

What followed was a series of superlatives. At 10:44 AM I think Max said this is the biggest Buddha statue in Vietnam. But then at 10:53 AM, he clarified: actually, it is the largest “Gold plated bronze statue of this particular type of Buddha in Vietnam.” It became a bit of a running joke in my head.

At 11:08 AM we reached another hall, but I decided it was too much trouble to take off my shoes to go in, so I just waited outside. Nearby at 11:10 AM we reached the Buddha Sakyamuni Hall. Keeping with the theme, this is the biggest gold-plated bronze of this type of Buddha (in Vietnam).

I wasn’t sure, but I think that this turtle looking rock was not entirely natural . . . I mean yes, it’s all rock, but I think they put some pieces together to make it look this way. Regardless, I rather liked.

We headed back to the tourist vehicles at 11:31 AM. The logistics were a bit chaotic; I was put in a vehicle going up with strangers while my group followed behind. But by 11:41 AM my group arrived, and we headed to the restaurant.

Lunch and Assembly line rowing?

At 11:52 AM I realized that even though I had slept well, I was feeling very sleepy, but I didn’t want to fall asleep. We arrived at Trang An Resort for a buffet meal at 12:08 PM, staying until 12:59 PM. The food wasn’t exquisite, but it was decent. I particularly liked the fried goat, but several of my fellow travelers were less impressed.

Back in the vehicle at 1:08 PM, we were given the “suggestion”: “If you like the boat trip you can give the rower 50,000 VND.” This always annoys me. If we are supposed to give 50,000, just include that in the price and charge us properly.

I didn’t want to think negatively, but there was a Dutch solo traveler on the tour who was clearly quite sick with a cold or flu, and of course, I got stuck next to him for this part of the ride. He really shouldn’t have come on this trip . . . Great, now the woman in front of me is also coughing! Am I a bad person for having these thoughts?

We arrived at the boat launch at 1:14 PM. The whole boat system is like an assembly line at a factory. Anyway, we got onto the boat at 1:32 PM. I’m not really sure what the point of this is. Still, everyone else seemed enthusiastic, so it must be good?

I observed that almost all the rowers seem to be slim women, though looking closer later at 2:46 PM, I guessed it was about 70% women and 30% men. Several times we saw what appeared to be baby ducklings, but no adults. I wonder why.

It was all very beautiful, but by 2:25 PM I kind of just wanted this boat ride to be over. The rowing style they use is interesting . . . it seems backwards from what I feel would work better . . . but after an hour, the novelty wears off. The seat was relatively comfortable with the mats they put on the benches, but it’s a fairly long-feeling ride.

We finished at 3:24 PM. I gave my 50,000 VND “tip” to the rower, and the two others in my boat did the same.

The Endurance Test

We were back in the car at 3:45 PM. Max told us we would be at the next destination in five minutes and gave us a choice: the left path which has 200 more steps but is more beautiful or the right-hand path, which is easier but with a less impressive view. Upon arrival to Khu Du Lich (Mua Cave) at 3:57 PM. We were told to be back at 5:20 PM.

At 4:08 PM I realized this seems to be another one of those endurance test tourism sites. I made it to the top, but at 4:33 PM I noted that the system up there isn’t very good at all. Nobody can tell who is going up or coming down, and it’s all uneven rock. Honestly, it’s a major disaster waiting to happen. Don’t even get me started on that weird crevasse you have to go through. But anyway, yay me! I conquered the dragon and got the “best view”.

I was finally down from the main difficult climbing area at 4:47 PM. Seriously. That was crazy. I then started back down and peaked in at a little side temple which mas mostly neglected by other visitors.

By 5:04 PM I was all the way down and back on safe ground, with a few minutes to just wander around the area near the entrance.

We got back in the vehicle at 5:24 PM and I was dropped off at 5:59 PM.

Evening

After a quick rest, I was out the door again at 6:31 PM. I decided to stick with what works and went to the same place as yesterday, Thuy Linh Restaurant. I ordered stir-fried bok choy with mushroom sauce, pork with Vietnamese vermicelli and peanut dipping sauce, and a draft beer. It was a bit more food than I had planned on, but it was very satisfying.

I paid 137,000 VND ($5.40 USD) and left at 7:43 PM. It had been a long day of “sort of biggest” statues and endless steps, but it was also a good one.

So, was this what you were expecting when I said I would be going to northern Vietnam, or was it something else you had in mind? What was your favorite part of the day? Do you have any thoughts on the “biggest” statues and pagodas? How about that climb up to the dragon sculpture? Let me know your comments and questions below, and keep following along for more adventures.

Northern Vietnam Trip: Day 1 (13-14 December 2025)

Hello everyone and welcome to the start of a brand-new series: Northern Vietnam! Hopefully I will be able to share about this trip in a timelier fashion than the last one. Before we get into the actual travel day, I want to share the logistics and costs that went into getting here. As always, I want to be transparent about what this actually costs.


I bought my tickets on Air Asia back on 11 November for 48,238 INR ($544.20 USD). This included 20kg of luggage ONLY for the return flight, which led to a bit of panic on the day of departure (more on that in a moment). For connectivity, I went with Vietnamesim.com. I paid $19.90 USD (1,775 INR) for a daily 5GB plan for 30 days using the Viettel network, which is considered the best provider in Vietnam. The eSIM delivery was almost instantaneous, and the setup was seamless. I also secured my Vietnam e-visa for 2,299.83 INR; this was easy to do at the official site and took less than a day to process.


For the first leg of the trip, I booked 4 nights (14-18 December) at Tam Coc Tuan Minh Homestay via Agoda for 3,862 INR ($45.80 USD). I also pre-booked a private car transfer (via Agoda) from Hanoi airport to Tam Coc for 3,385 INR ($40.15 USD), as the expected travel time was over two hours. Now, let’s get to the trip itself.


13 December: The Departure


The day started with a bit of a scramble. At the last minute, I wasn’t sure I could fit everything into my carry-on limit. My home scale suggested I was a couple of kilograms over, so to be safe, I advance paid 3,046 INR ($36.15 USD) for 7kg of additional carry-on weight. Better safe than sorry, right? At 6:45 PM I was picked up by my QuickRide driver. This was actually a bit early, as the electric car had been scheduled for 7:10 PM. I paid only 610 INR ($7.25 USD) for the 24km ride to the airport, and I even got a free upgrade to a more comfortable, compact SUV.


The ride itself was uneventful, with us arriving at the airport at 7:38 PM. By 7:45 PM I was in line to get my boarding passes (digital passes not accepted on this route), and at 7:49 PM came the moment of truth. I would barely have been over the limit, and they didn’t even weigh my personal bag. I suppose I wasted that money on the extra weight allowance, but the peace of mind was probably worth it.


Things continued to go well, and I was through immigration and security by 8:07 PM and headed straight to the lounge at 8:15 PM. Sadly, I have to report that the party is over at the 080 Lounge in Terminal 2 of the BLR airport. They have converted most of the space into an “exclusive” area for first-class or airline invitations only. As such, the Priority Pass section is now really just for eating; there is no longer a proper “lounge area” to relax in. Adding additional annoyance, my flight was delayed and wouldn’t depart until 11:42 PM. Still, since it’s an included benefit of my credit card, I may as well use it instead of paying for overpriced airport food.


At 11:25 PM I went down to the gate, and we started boarding at 11:32 PM. Once I was on the plane at 11:50 PM, an older couple asked me if I would change my seat to row eleven so they could sit together with their daughter. I agreed, since one middle seat is as good as another, but the flight attendant had other plans. The other seat was more than ten rows away and they were desperately trying to get everyone seated as quickly as possible in order to make up for lost time. He firmly but politely told the older couple that their adult daughter would be fine on the four-hour flight to Bangkok. While I agreed with the flight attendant, this showed the sort of mean, penny pinching which is common on budget (and even not so budget) airlines today.

To begin with, they had booked the three seats together, and there were only 3 seats together on either side of the aisle. Furthermore, even the husband and wife had been separated, with me being placed between them. Really? Are we supposed to believe this was unintended? If you don’t “buy a seat” they will intentionally separate you from the people with whom you booked the flight? Don’t get me wrong; I feel like the whole current system is a scam. I mean I suppose that it’s nice that this is one time when solo travelers don’t get a worse deal than accompanied travelers, but it still doesn’t sit well with me. I may be in the minority, but I yearn for the not-too-distant past when two standard size suitcases and a full-size carry-on were just included with every airplane ticket. However, those days are clearly over . . . Anyway, I did still switch seats with the husband so he could be next to his wife, thus scoring a window seat as an unexpected bargain.

14 December: Arrival in Vietnam


We finally started moving at 11:58 PM, with the plane actually taking off at 12:13 AM. After a short nap I landed in Bangkok for my transfer. At 3:46 AM IST (5:16 AM Thai time), I was off the first plane and looking for information on the connecting flight.

Waiting in line at the security check for international transfers at 5:40 AM, it was obvious that this was a very inefficient and confusing system. There was no clear way to get in line nor follow the norms, which made it understandable that people were getting upset and turned around. Of course, some people were also clearly just trying to game the system (or lack thereof). Still, by 6:08 AM I was through the silly transfer station and checked out the shops a bit.


At 7:24 AM I went into Miracle Lounge using my DreamFolks card. This was right before McDonald’s, fairly near where you go down to gates 1-6. There is a reception desk where they check your credentials, and then you go upstairs behind. Previously I had gone to the other Miracle lounge in this concourse and had not been particularly impressed. This one however seemed like a breath of fresh air. It was so quiet and elegant. Truly, it felt like a place of relaxation, which was a stark contrast to the experience in Bengaluru the night before. Furthermore, the food and drink selection was more than adequate, if perhaps not extravagant.

  

I left the lounge at 9:10 AM, and coming down to the boarding area at 9:19 AM was a bit of a shock. The chaos of the gate area really highlighted what a sanctuary that lounge had been. Still, no reason to complain.


At 9:54 AM I was sitting in seat 23E, next to a young French woman who appeared to be doing traditional scrapbooking right there on her tray table. It was quite charming; I watched her paste her boarding pass into a notebook.

Regarding Air Asia in general, let me be clear. These are not comfortable planes, especially for someone who is 6 feet tall. I think it would be even more uncomfortable for anyone who is remotely overweight, but the legroom was the worst issue in my particular case. Fortunately, at 10:07 AM, I reminded myself that this flight would be less than two hours. With reference to the same, the plane touched down at 11:47 AM.

My first impression of Northern Vietnam from the window was that it was greener and the sky was clearer than I had thought it would be in the Hanoi area.

I was off the plane at 12:04 PM and hit the immigration lines at 12:09 PM. It looked daunting; each line appeared to have at least 25 people. There is an autogate system labeled “Priority,” but at 12:13 PM I used my preloaded Viettel eSIM to look it up and read that it’s basically only for Vietnamese citizens with updated chip passports.

Despite the long lines, I was at the counter at 12:34 PM and done in less than a minute. I simply handed over my passport and printed e-visa. No questions asked. At 12:38 PM I was out and headed to column 12 as directed via WhatsApp by my pickup driver. There was a bit of back and forth, but communication was seamless. The temperature was pleasantly cool, though I was fine in just my t-shirt. At 12:51 PM I was in the car, a very comfortable Hyundai Stargazer X.

By 1:13 PM we were cruising along clean, well-maintained roads. Looking at the sky at 1:31 PM, I decided to check the forecast. It looked like it might rain on Wednesday, so rather than letting myself have a rest day on Tuesday, I also booked a tour for then in order to have a better chance of nice weather. Thus, I would have two days in a row of full-day tours.


At 2:20 PM the sky was blue and the road mostly flat. We arrived at Tam Coc Tuan Minh Homestay and I checked in at 2:56 PM.

After settling in, I went out wandering at 3:39 PM, and at 4:02 PM I found a TPBank ATM and took out 3,000,000 VND ($114.04 USD / 11,082 INR). It was a bit of a shock seeing those millions on the screen! Incidentally, if getting cash out in Tam Coc, this is the one with the smallest fees.

I noticed at 4:49 PM that there were several laundries nearby, which is good to know. At 4:59 PM I sat for a moment at a local park. I saw some older women were getting ready to dance, but it was unclear when that would happen, and some mosquitoes were annoying me, so I decided to try to catch them on a later day.

I was back at the room at 5:25 PM and was contacted by tomorrow’s tour operator via WhatsApp at 5:34 PM reconfirming my plans for the next day. Little check-ins like this lessen some of the stress of travel. After a brief rest, at 6:27 PM I headed out again for dinner. I chose the nearby Thuy Linh Restaurant, which was just around the corner from my lodging. My meal of Pho with beef, pork spring rolls and a draft beer was just 107,000 VND ($4.20 USD), which I paid with cash at 7:42 PM. It was simple, but a very solid first meal in Vietnam!

From there, I made a quick stop to buy some water and snacks for 53,000 VND ($2.08 USD), arriving back in the room at 8:00 PM, ready to crash after a very long day of travel.

So that’s it for Day 1! There was more initial domestic travel than I would generally like, but I hadn’t wanted to go back and forth to Hanoi. Furthermore, tomorrow morning I will hit the ground running with a full day tour. So, we will have to see how I hold up. So, what do you think? Are you ready to find out more about northern Vietnam? I certainly am. Keep reading if you want to see how things continue to develop.  As always, let me know your questions and comments below and I’ll do my best to help.

Bali trip: Days 7-8 (25-26 October 2025)

Hey everyone. I decided to combine Days 7 and 8 into a single entry because, to be honest, the pace slowed down a bit, which is exactly what I needed. Day 7 was about enjoying the last bits of Seminyak, and Day 8 was the inevitable travel trek back home.

Day 7: A Slow Start and a Pork Feast

Day 7 started slowly. At 7:21 AM I had sort of woken up, or rather, I had opened my eyes at 6:30 AM and made the executive decision to ignore the world for another hour. By the time I actually dragged myself out of bed, the “morning rush” was long gone.

At 10:23 AM I finally headed out walking. One thing you notice when you slow down and just walk the streets here is the small details. At 10:30 AM I stopped to look at the canang sari (offerings). It seems that they put these little offering plates at the entrance to the narrow lanes and also sometimes right in front of gates. You have to be careful not to step on them, but they really add a unique character to the morning walk.

I arrived at Mr. Egg at 10:32 AM. It seemed like the right spot for a late breakfast. I ordered a chili egg thing, a soy milk, and an egg muffin. It wasn’t the most traditional Balinese meal, but it hit the spot.

At 12:14 PM I left, paying 158,000 IDR ($10.05 USD). As I was walking away, at 12:18 PM, I spotted a restaurant simply called “Pork.” I mean, you have to appreciate the direct marketing. I made a mental note that I might want to eat there later.

The walk also took me through an area at 12:26 PM that seemed to be the “home and garden” district; all these decor spots were just right there, more or less fighting for space together.

At 12:34 PM I arrived at De Gym again and paid my 200,000 IDR ($12.72 USD) via credit card. Honestly, more than the workout, it was just nice to get into the air conditioning. As I was working out, at 12:56 PM I was looking around and realized the clientele here is intense. There was a guy here with a huge back. To be fair, two days ago there was a different guy who was incredibly stacked. Actually, many of the people who go to this gym look incredibly fit. Then at 1:31 PM, that massively fit guy showed up again. It’s enough to make you feel very tiny, but I just kept to my routine. Another couple of things that I really like about this gym are that everyone is very respectful about putting the weights back after using them, and they don’t play any loud obnoxious music over the speakers.

I finished up at 3:10 PM and was back out on the street at 3:14 PM. By 3:30 PM I was back in the room charging my phone, only to discover a small domestic disaster. There was lots of water on the floor from where the AC had leaked. I spent some time trying to get it cleaned up…glamorous travel life, right? I then started to get ready to go out as I wanted to be at the beach for the sunset at 5:30 PM.

At 4:54 PM I took a bike taxi down to the beach. Despite the clouds, I was still able to get a bit of a sunset view.

I left the beach at 6:20 PM and headed to Naughty Nuri’s. This is a famous pork place (maybe this was the destiny I sensed earlier when I saw the “Pork” sign?). I was able to get in right away which was good, because I know it is often hard to get a spot here. At 7:50 PM I paid and left, somehow completely forgetting to note down the cost. I remember that it definitely wasn’t cheap by Bali standards, but as a farewell meal, it was more than worth it.

Then I decided to go walking to the supermarket. It was in the main tourist area, so the walk was interesting enough. I forgot to write down when I entered Bintang Supermarket, but I was there probably a minimum of an hour. I just enjoy wandering aisles in foreign supermarkets. It was 9:16 PM when I finally finished there. The damage? 806,800 IDR ($51.30 USD). I know, I know. I got lots of chocolates and some interesting snacks. To be honest, I didn’t really know what most of it was, haha.

Since it was 3 km to the hotel, I decided to walk it off.

I arrived back at the room at 10:10 PM, and by 11:44 PM I finally had everything ready and was prepared to sleep.

Day 8: The Long Way Home

Day 8 began early at 6:45 AM. I was up and getting ready for the inevitable slog of international travel.

At 7:48 AM I booked a Gojek, which is notable since this was actually the very first time that I used one of these driver apps on this trip; when going nearby I preferred to walk, and when going further, I was always on a tour. The car arrived at 7:52 AM and it was a large, comfortable SUV. I quickly discovered that I had evidently accidentally chosen the domestic terminal, but it wasn’t too hard to change with the driver. We arrived at the airport at 8:17 AM. The fare was a bit less than 150,000 IDR, something like 140,000, but I just gave him 150,000 IDR ($9.54 USD).

From what I can tell, the system here is to wait in the receiving area before going through the gate section. There are several restaurants, and I think inside there’s not really much. It’s a nice-looking airport, but at 8:30 AM I decided to just go through. Even if it’s only sitting, I can do that on the other side.

I checked in at 8:49 AM, discovering that my checked bag was only 15 KG. I honestly had thought it would be more given my chocolate haul from the night before. By 8:51 AM I was at security, which seemed very calm, and by 9:01 AM I was through immigration. It was all electronic, very low stress and even peaceful.

At 9:15 AM, I knew it would be a horrible exchange rate, but I changed my last 501,200 IDR for $28 USD. It hurt a little, but what are you going to do with leftover Rupiah? I guess I could have bought something to eat, but I had something else in mind.

At 9:18 AM I used my Priority Pass to access the Concordia Lounge. I really had not been especially impressed with what was downstairs even though it all looked fine, so I figured I may as well go here. I liked that the lounge wasn’t crowded. At 9:28 AM I tried the butterfly pea flower drink which is called Telang. It was pleasant and very refreshing.

Later, at 10:15 AM, I decided to get an iced mochaccino and a couple of pastries.

I left the lounge at 10:29 AM to go to the boarding area, Gate 9A. On the way, I saw people taking the elevator down one floor. I really don’t understand why perfectly healthy people take elevators to go one floor. At 10:37 AM I noticed there were actually quite a few shops and restaurants on the way to the gate, so my earlier assumption had been wrong.

At 10:48 AM I was seated in 7C. I bought a few things on Amazon while waiting. By 11:22 AM we moved into the starting position. I noted that I had only used 7.43 GB of data during the week despite having almost constantly used my data connection, certainly during the three long day trips. We were in the air by 11:31 AM.

The flight was uneventful. At 5:07 PM the pilot announced arrival, and at 5:35 PM Indonesian time (3:06 PM Indian Standard Time), we touched down. By 3:18 PM IST, while we were still taxiing, I noticed an older teenager near me reading The Song of Achilles; maybe I should read it? At 3:22 PM I was off the plane and onto the jetway, thinking that the cloth passport pouch I’ve had for many years is probably the best travel accessory I have.

At 3:26 PM I was at immigration. There were very few people working and also few waiting. I briefly considered checking out the fast-track immigration travelers’ program since I come here often but then realized it’s only for Indians or those with OCI cards. I sort of feel like it would make sense to open it up to those of us who have long term visas, but there’s no point in even thinking about it …

As always, at 3:34 PM, I was amazed at how long they take to process a single person. The system is clearly broken. However, they started with me at 3:36 PM, and by 3:40 PM I was through. So, sometimes it works alright.

I got my bag at 3:44 PM and headed out.

At 3:52 PM, I saw there was a significant waiting line for Uber Go, but with plenty of time, I decided to go with that option as it was more than 400 INR ($4.75 USD) less than other options and I really wasn’t in any sort of a hurry.

Well, at 4:25 PM I was still waiting. Time is money and all that. Was it really worth it? Still waiting at 4:58 PM, I fully remembered why I don’t generally do this. Finally, at 5:11 PM I got in a car. It ended up being a non-AC car, which was perfectly good with this lovely weather and the cost was even less. Still, it was an eighty-minute wait, so despite the more than 400 INR savings, probably something I won’t be repeating.

I arrived home at 5:46 PM. The ride was 688 INR ($8.16 USD), but I gave him 700. And just like that, the trip was over.

So that’s it for the Bali adventure. I know that these last two days weren’t particularly exciting to read about, but I wanted to finish up the entire trip. If all goes as planned, in just a day or two, you will be reading about my current new, and at times exciting destination!

Bali trip: Day 6 (24 October 2025)

Hey there everyone. The first thing you need to know about Day 6 in Bali was that it was a very long day, but I promise you that it is worth reading through to the end.

It all started with the alarm going off at 3:30 AM. There was a whirlwind rush to eat one of the sweet buns I had bought a couple of days ago, quickly shower and then a comical 15 minute interlude of me going through which t-shirt to wear for the day. You have no doubt noticed that I seem to wear almost the exact same clothes in every picture you see of me while travelling, and if you haven’t before noticed, it will now be impossible to not see. The main conflict was that I had originally pulled out a dark colored t-shirt for today, but then I couldn’t decide which one, and then started to debate about whether or not it would actually be better for me to wear something more vibrant while visiting ancient temples. It will soon become evident which internal argument won out.

At 4:00 AM I was waiting to be picked up. The day before, on GetYourGuide, I had booked the Bali: Besakih Temple & Lempuyang Temple Gates of Heaven Tour for 6045 INR ($67.64 USD), including all transport, entry fees and a buffet lunch.

We had barely started out, when the other person in the car and I were told that the entry fees for the tour were actually not included. I knew that it wasn’t the guide’s fault, but this was not a good way to start the day. I really wanted to enjoy the day, but the negatives were quickly adding up. To begin with, when I had originally clicked on the trip within GetYourGuide, the price shown in the trip grid immediately increased by more than 1500 INR, and then there had been a list of several obviously needed inclusions, each one having additional cost. I had selected everything it was possible to select, and was now being told that it would be an additional $18 USD? On top of that, the trip had been advertised as departing at 7:00 AM (which had seemed reasonable) and then the evening before had been changed to a 4:00 AM departure.

Both myself and my fellow traveler were very disgruntled about this, but at 4:40 AM, talking things out together, we resolved to just deal with it since we really wanted to enjoy the day. We reasoned that especially since there were only two of us on the tour, we would have initially been willing to pay a bit more in order to still have today’s experience despite there being only two travelers. However, I will admit that I wrote a very strong worded, yet still polite message to the tour operator, TripGotik.

Unsurprisingly at this time of the morning, there didn’t seem to be any traffic. Furthermore, the vehicle was comfortable, and the roads were in good condition. At 5:00 AM, we stopped briefly at a convenience store, where I bought two chicken dumplings and a soy drink for 123 INR ($1.38 USD). Moving on from there, at 5:30 AM, the sun was starting to come up, and even in the quickly moving vehicle, the sky over the distant mountains was beautiful.

The picture didn’t really do it justice, but this got me thinking about how Heetum had said that the reason for us to leave so early was in order to get a good Instagram post in some particular place. That whole “perfect photo narrative” seemed to be a recurring theme here. It guess “it is what it is,” but I thought it was a bit sad if the entire reason for visiting Bali had been reduced to social media pictures. What about actually learning something about the temples or other sites which were visited?

At 5:50 AM we stopped for ten minutes to take a picture and to let the driver take a quick nap.

We decided to let Heetum sleep a few more minutes, and then as we were going along once more at 6:11 AM, I received a WhatsApp message from the tour operator apologizing for the mix-up, and assuring me that all entry fees had been included for the day. I know it was a small financial difference, but that immediately made both of us feel much better, effectively lifting the shadow which had been there since we had been picked up. Riding along, at 6:30 AM, I realized how much I was simply enjoying the scenery.

At 6:40 AM we arrived to the Lempuyang area and almost immediately got in a bus which took up up a rather twisty road to another stopping point. Here, as frequently happens in Bali, we had “required sarongs” tied on us. This had happened to me a few days ago as well. Not to be disrespectful, but the whole thing seemed a bit silly. Still, when in Bali . . .

At 6:57 AM, Heetum parked us at a restaurant and said that he was going to take care of getting our numbers (whatever that meant), but that it would be about an hour before we could go further up. It hadn’t been clear to either of us that we were going to stop at a restaurant for breakfast, but it seemed like a comfortable place to hang out, and the view really was wonderful.

At 7:49 AM I paid 60500 IDR ($3.63 USD) for my cold coffee, and we headed up the short hill, arriving to the actual temple at 7:55 AM. They toss a bit of water on you when you enter “to purify” you, and this is not optional. It all seemed absurdly performative, as there was nobody actually telling us anything about the temple itself, and nobody in attendance seemed to care. This was clearly only about getting the pictures.

We did actually learn a detail at 8:14 AM. Evidently there were a total of seven temples here, but visitors are only allowed to visit the first one unless they have come to worship. Yes, it was all very pretty, but I felt a bit bad that everyone (including myself) was treating this religious and archeologic site as an elaborate photo prop. Of course, I could read more about the temple online or something, but I felt that it would have been much more meaningful to take advantage of the wait time to actually learn something about where we were visiting. At least we had a covered area to sit while waiting for our turn to get pictures.

Karla, from Mexico, was the other person on my tour

At 8:39 AM, I encouraged my travel partner for the day, Karla, to go get some “flowing dress swing pictures” done while I just continued to wait. Again, it was all very silly, but several places I had gone in Bali, women were having these special photo shoots done, and I had to admit that they seemed to be very elegant. After some debate, Karla decided to go ahead with the plan, as this was something which she definitely would not do anywhere else. I don’t remember exactly how much she paid, but I remember thinking that it was a perfectly reasonable price, especially if the photos turned out as beautiful as the samples which had been shown.

Finally at 9:29 AM my number was called and I rushed forward to get my 15 seconds of meticulously orchestrated photos at the “Gates of Heaven”.

At 9:46 AM Karla returned, and I had to admit that her photos and videos really were beautiful; here you can see a small sample. As soon as she arrived, they rushed her to the gates and we headed back to the car, departing from the site at 10:15 AM.

Our next stop at 10:28 AM was Tunas Bali Luwak Coffee where we had a coffee tasting tour with the on-site guide Nyoman. Obviously, the hope here was that we would buy things, but I didn´t. However, I did enjoy the “free” selection of teas and coffees, and felt that Nyoman did a good job. So, when the tour ended at 11:23 AM I left a tip of 15000 IDR ($0.90 USD), and I think that Karla also bought a couple of bags of coffee.

This civet was not caged, but presumably stayed around here because of the free food.

When we departed at 11:28 AM, I had to admit that I had actually rather enjoyed this thinly veiled sales pitch. It is not something I would have done on my own, but I would actually recommend it if you have the time to fit it into your visit to Bali.

We weren’t in the car very long before arriving to Tirta Gangga at 11:32 AM. There’s no way around it; this place is amazingly beautiful. The gardens were meticulously maintained, the giant koi stunning, and the opportunities for pictures endless. On top of that, there was also a small, but reasonably well-done museum which added a bit of historical context to the whole place. It was all so perfect that it seemed a bit like being dropped into a Disney movie or something. I feel like I should have been jaded, and end up saying that it is too artificial. But you know what, that’s not what I thought at all. It was an incredibly special surprise to have come here.

This former king had a bunch of these short swords. I didn’t understand why, but it was evidently a big deal.

At 12:51 PM we were back in the car, and Heetum said it would be about 90 minutes until our next stop. The scenery along the way was impressive, and we even did a quick stop for more random pictures.

We arrived to Lereng Agung Restaurant at 2:31 PM. There, I was initially delighted to see this large bat on a perch near the entrance. My buffet lunch here was included in the tour, and I took full advantage of the same. The food wasn’t particularly amazing, but I had no particular complaints. Furthermore, the view was outstanding.

Unfortunately as we were departing at 4:20 PM, I made the mistake of asking our guard why the bat didn’t fly away. He said that the owner of the restaurant had intentionally broken the bat’s wing so that it would become dependent on him, in the process becoming a tourist attraction . . . I have since then searched for more information on this and can’t find anything to confirm this. However, this appears to be a known practice in Bali. Is that what happened here? I don’t know, but if so, that would be a reason to skip this otherwise pleasant lunch destination.

Just ten minutes later, we arrived at Pura Agung Besakih, also commonly referred to as The Mother Temple. According to Heetum, this is the most important temple in Bali, sort of like a National Cathedral. Surprise, surprise (or not), we were once more required to put on sarongs. Unless specifically coming to worship, all visits here are managed by local guides. Heetum took care of getting our tickets, and we were rushed into a golf cart to take us up to where the actual tour would begin.

According to our local temple guide, the temple is from the eighth century, dedicated to Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. Furthermore, this is a fully functioning temple rather than just an archeologic site. So, a lot of the construction is evidently quite modern, whereas other parts of the buildings and walls go back more than a thousand years.

These moss covered walls date all the way back to the eighth century.

Despite being such a massive temple complex, which is evidently also central to traditional religious life on the island, at 4:54 PM there was almost nobody there. The entire experience was delightfully peaceful, with impressive sites at every juncture. Furthermore, while the local guide was not incredibly insightful, he definitely made the visit much more enjoyable by adding some context to the visit.

I am only relaying what we were told, so the information is doubtless incomplete. I was interested to learn that the first temple area where we visited is evidently for the farmer caste, with the second one being for the soldier caste. Our local guide was from farmer caste, and he indicated that he could only worship in that area; this did not however seem to bother him. I wasn’t really sure of how many castes were recognized here, but the guide was quick to clarify that the system is different from Hinduism in India. I had just sort of assumed that the various sorts of roofs were decorative, but we found out that the number of roofs indicates to which the caste the area corresponds, with the highest caste having towers with eleven roofs.

At 5:23 PM we arrived to an extremely impressive structure, which as far as I could tell, was the highest point to the temple complex. I was very curious to look around inside, but you are evidently only supposed to enter if you are going to worship. They apparently just take your word for it, but I certainly didn’t want to pretend that I believed something which I didn’t, and neither did my travel partner Karla. So, we both indicated that we would stay outside and appreciate the the impressive view, made even more impactful by the lack of other visitors and the almost complete silence.

It seemed though that we had partially misunderstood about not being allowed to go up the stairs. Much of this apex structure is open to general visitors, but there is a clear invisible line which is only to be crossed by worshippers. It would have been impossible for us to identify that point on our own, but I guess that is one of the reasons that all non-religious visitors are required to be accompanied by a temple guide.

The pictures really don’t do it justice. The towers in the far distance made me feel like I was I was in some sort of a magical land from the distant past.

So wow, we made it to the top! Actually, no we didn’t. At 5:32 PM we had gone up as far as we were going to, but this whole temple area actually continues for another two kilometers! Regardless, even regular worshippers usually only come up as far as we were, and while it was all very beautiful, it was also quickly getting dark, and we were going to have to walk all the way back down. The local guide continued on down with us until the entrance to where the golf cart had dropped us off, and we continued walking down on our own from there.

As we arrived back to the car at 6:28 PM, I was overwhelmingly thankful for having been able to experience this visit. Regardless of your belief system, if in Bali, you should definitely visit this temple complex. I do however, understand that it is much busier at other times of the day and at other times of the year. Still, even if not visiting in October, I think it is worth a shot to make some time for this religious site.

The ride back to the hotel was uneventful, if a bit long. We dropped Karla off at 8:30 PM, but it wasn’t until 9:49 PM that we finally arrived back to my lodging . . . an almost eighteen hour tour! I will admit that I had been a bit cynical near the beginning of the day, but things turned out wonderfully. It is always difficult to identify “the best day” of a trip, but I think this was it. Yes, there was the inconvenience of the early departure, and the somewhat questionable emphasis at times on getting “the perfect picture”. However, all together, I had a fantastic time. Heetum and Karla, if you are reading this, thank you for contributing to this incredible memory of Bali!

So, what do you think? If you have read the other days, do you agree that this was really the best one? What about the huge wait for the fifteen seconds of pictures at the first site . . . was it worth it, or just silly? I look forward to seeing your comments and questions in the section below.