March 11

Up early to catch the bus to Ninh Binh for our day tour. The bus ride was 2 hours and again it was raining.  First we went to Bia Dinh temple. It is a complex of Buddhist temples on Bai Dinh Mountain. The compound consists of the original old temple and a newly created larger temple. It is considered the largest complex of Buddhist temples in Vietnam and has become a popular site for Buddhist pilgrimages. In the centre of this temple is a bronze Buddha Sykamuni statue, covered with gold,  which is 10 meters high and weighs 100 tons. It is certificated as the biggest statue in Vietnam.  Also at the site was the female buddha. Equally as large and impressive. It is said that even though she was a princess she was dedicated to follow Buddhism. Her father was a tyrant and tried to get her married but she refused. Many monks were killed because they were not able to get her to marry them. Her father got a terrible disease and in order to save his life she gave him her hand and an eye. Then she was forever given many hands and eyes to help the people. It was a very serene place. Next was Trang An...which the people call "Halong Bay inland " It is now a Unesco World Heritage site. It is a spectacular landscape of limestone peaks and valleys, many of them partly submerged and surrounded by steep, almost vertical cliffs. On the tour we went through 8 waterway grotto tunnels that were very narrow and low. The ladies who take you out in the boat, rowing for 2 hours. And we found out later that they get paid $7 US per boat. In peak season they can do 2-3 trips a day. A hard way to make a living.  The scenery was great but would have been spectacular if it had not been raining 😟 When we got back we were tired, it was raining and my sore throat was worse, so we wandered around the lake. Then Ron got his banh mi, I got some fruit and yogurt and we picked up a bottle of wine. Dinner in the room 😍