So after the horrible weekend. I stayed till Wednesday morning in Ho Chi Minh. Went to the ENT doctor and got more antibiotics for the price of €360. Thank god for health insurance! Still got ear pain and by Wednesday I had fluid dripping out of my left ear. Nonetheless, the doctor cleared me for flying so on Wednesday I flew to Hanoi to visit Minh Bin.
The area of Minh Bin is absolutely stunning. I’m really glad I decided to come here. The hostel is also very nice, although it sucks I can’t join the swimming pool volleyball. It is also the place where a cocktail would be very enjoyable, however being again on antibiotics, this won’t be an option.
The first night I joined 3 other Dutch girls for dinner. Who recognised many others from early hostels. Turned into a nice group and we ended up playing some games. To my delight, everyone went to bed at a reasonable hour.
The next day I woke up fresh. One of the girls told me yesterday that renting a bicycle was very doable. Sounded great to me, finally some freedom and exercise. Plus it’s the cheapest and I’m Dutch. So it couldn’t be better.
I took off to get to Trang An. Went a little bit too fast over a speed bump, so my phone fell and my back wheel went over it. Oopsie. But the protective phone case did its job. On the way to Trang An, I stopped at a tiny temple. Normally with a tour, you would go straight past this. So I was glad I could make my own decisions. When I arrived at Trang An, I could see why it was so touristy. Absolutely gorgeous.
As I was by myself I had to wait for others who I could join. I was paired up with a lovely Vietnamese lady and her brother and father. She has lived in the USA for several years, so her English is very well. The views were amazing. For our comfort, they supplied umbrellas to protect us from the sun. The brother was sitting next to me and held the umbrella. After some time I offered to swap. But the woman explained that it was an honor for him to hold this up for me. It made me feel a bit odd because I’m very used to carrying my own load (sometimes very literal) and not very comfortable if I sit back whilst others are working.
The boat tour took about three hours and I would really recommend it. After that, I had something to eat and continued to cycle to the next destination. A very old city. I enjoyed especially the climb and the rewarding view. After that, I decided to return to the hostel and chill for a bit.
In the evening I went for dinner with my roommate and reconnected with the Dutchies for a card game. Again a very welcome chill night.
The next morning I went to Mua Cave, which oddly enough is a hilltop with temples on top. I was there in the late morning, meaning the temperature was already above 30 degrees Celcius. Damn. So so so hot!! Everyone was sweating except the locals. But it was worth every sweat drop. It was really pretty. Again.
Once my core temperature dropped back to normal, I went back to the hostel because it was nearly time to catch the bus to Hanoi to meet up with Julie for the weekend. Officially I had already checked out. But I needed a shower! So I sneaked back into my room, but no one gave me any trouble.
The bus ride back to Hanoi went smoothly apart from still being on medication and the constant liquid coming out of my ear. I enjoyed the last few days. Maybe it’s so bad after all.
Zilla-in-the-wild 