Day 4: Rainy Reflections, Mua Cave (Almost), and Much-Needed Rest

After yesterday’s rather ambitious sightseeing programme, Ninh Binh gave us a convincing reason to slow down: thunder, heavy rain and a sky offering absolutely no encouragement to leave the hotel. Lizz’s cold was still lingering, and both of us needed a rest. For once, staying in bed required no negotiation.

A Walk After the Rain

By late morning the rain had eased, and the humidity had taken over. We walked the 1.8 kilometres to Mua Cave through freshly washed, green countryside. It was a lovely route, although by the time we arrived we had already made a respectable contribution to the day’s sweating.

The attraction here is not only the cave: it is the viewpoint high above it, reached by a long, steep stone staircase. Roughly 500 steps stood between us and those famous views over the paddies and limestone peaks. We looked up. Then we considered the heat, our tired legs and the Indian lunch available nearby. Lunch won. I cannot pretend it was a closely fought contest.

The Viewpoint Could Wait; Lunch Could Not

Our alternative programme involved chicken, lamb, fish and prawn dishes, dal, rice, naan and raita—as the photographs below make fairly clear. We had not conquered a mountain, but we were making excellent progress through lunch.

We were still considering an early return to Mua Cave the following morning, depending on the weather. One decision already seemed sensible: we would arrange a ride rather than add another long walk before the stairs. Our enthusiasm was returning slightly faster than our energy.

An Afternoon with No Ambitions

The afternoon was for reading and resting. Our northern Vietnam days had already given us Hanoi’s bustle, pagodas and Ninh Binh’s waterways. There was no need to squeeze another achievement into every available hour.

Tomorrow we would return towards Hanoi for our flight to Da Nang, in central Vietnam. But first there was the small matter of whether we would actually tackle those steps at Hang Mua. The next diary explains how that turned out. Let us just say lunch had been the simpler option.