Winter 17/18 – From Phong Nha to Ninh Binh

On this trip, I wanted some blue sky in the North. So I pushed it as far back in the year as I could. But Dimitry had other plans. He wanted to go to the water festival in Thailand. I told him not to come before April, but he does not care, of course. So I had to drive up North after a few days in Phong Nha to meet him in Ninh Binh.
Checked out of the Elegant Hostel, which had another name at the time. They are now on booking.com, and I would go there again!

I have a few pictures of my room at the Elegant Hostel, all the way down at my last blog post: Winter 16/17: From A Loui to Phong Nha

I have this picture so many times now. I do like this one since I have no clouds on it. Last time it started to rain, and I had to get one of those capes that are really too small for me. And after a few hours in the rain, it got quite cold. Much better today!

Local House — This kind of house I only saw in this region

Houses in front of Mountains in Vietnam — Very different from the other ones in Vietnam

House in Vietnam — The modern style with a metal house next to the original wood house

Old house in Vietnam — In the good old times the roof was still done with roof tiles

Modern House in Vietnam — This one is the latest fashion – metal with a big roof in front

I have some more pictures of the houses from the last trip from Phong Nha to Phố Châu

A few nights in Phố Châu

Stopped in Phố Châu for a few days to see Trần again. He is the manager of my hotel, and the Ly Ha Hotel is now on booking.com. Most of his free time he spends helping kids learn English. And so we went to teach them some English.

The Ly Ha Hotel in Phố Châu

Girl with water — A young girl bringing some water from the sea. Strange art here in the mountians. Took of her nipple – sorry! But you know facebook :-(

Today’s Drive: 181 kilometers in 3 hours and 30 minutes with a few stops

Family dinner — I was invited every day for the family lunch and dinner

My friend Trần - the manager of the hotel — My friend Trần – the manager of the hotel

Thank you, Trần! See you again next year!

From Phố Châu to Ninh Binh

Took no pictures today. Was only driving and driving and driving…
Went down to the A1 to save some time. Not really nice, but so much faster. Would only recommend that road if you’re in a hurry.

Today’s Drive: 252 Kilometers in 5 hours and 35 minutes with a few stops

Back in Ninh Binh

Ninh Binh Brothers Hotel

Got my stuff at my friend’s house and said “Hello” to the new dog. Drove to the Ninh Binh Brothers Hotel, where I usually stay in Ninh Binh.

The Pink Room at the Two Brothers Hotel in Ninh Binh — The Pink Room at the Two Brothers Hotel

The Pink Room at Two Brothers Hotel Ninh Binh — The bathroom door on the left

At the Bia hơi Place at the Lake

Bia is from French bière and hơi means gas. Bia hơi is a freshly brewed beer. It is usually delivered every day to the bars and restaurants that sell it. The beer is very light, most of the times it has not more than 3% alcohol. It is brewed without conservatives so it has to go fast. A glass of beer is anywhere between 3000 and 7000 Dong. 1 € is about 25.000 Dong.

Most of the places serve some food and snacks as well. Great to spend an evening with friends or make new friends.