Redemption: the beauty of Trang An

After the misery of the morning tour of the Pagoda, the experience of Trang An was a relief, even though most of our Vietnamese companions openly tried to avoid being on the same boat as the foreigners.  Our boat companions ended up being a very nice Korean girl and the only Vietnamese on the trip who didn't pretend we didn't exist, and was equally nice.  We were all loaded onto boats for  the two hour trip - four passengers for each boat which were usually powered by female rowers.  The rowers never stopped rowing, and when they got tired, they simply switched to rowing with their feet.  The passengers occasionally lent a hand, but I think we were more of a hindrance than a help.

  I see an ecotourism opportunity niche in Australia.

Once again, a few facts were hurled at us, but we were expected to know where we were and what was going on.  My obsessive need for understanding was once again going to have to be relinquished for just going for the flow.  When I get home, I'm going to have to look at a map and do a bit of research.  The trip is through, I gather, a national park, though there are clearly signs of farming  

 

 fishing ( and there are a lot in the weedy water, including some huge orange gold fish)

 
 and pagodas.

 

 The watery route winds under mountains, through caves - Sang Cave, Toi Cave, Ba Giot Cave, Nau Ruou cave,

 

 and past limestone mountains so that it is like a land-locked Halong Bay.  It is truly beautiful, peaceful and worth the experience.

 

If one was able to canoe along the waterways, with only the locals

 The water lilies

and the surrounding mountains, it would be bliss.

However, with 2000 boats moored. waiting for tourists, this scenario is highly unlikey.

We returned back to the village

 

and piled on to the bus to make our weary way back to Hanoi, where we got the friendliest communication yet from our companions - when they said good-bye.