03-08-2026 Hike

Slept fairly well again, did wake up and read for a while but eventually got back to sleep (<!>). Showered, and Ann washed some clothes, then we headed over to breakfast in the resort lobby. It was okay, sufficient variety and quality, although the coffee was bad (good pineapple juice, though). Then we went back to the room and packed our stuff, to be moved to a different room. Hung around the new room, as nice as the other one, planning our day's activities. Ann agreed to ride on the scooter, which was a little surprising. We got one from the front desk and took it out for a test ride. She was a trooper, so I loaded in the map to Bich Dong Pagoda. I'd started out in the wrong direction, so we ended up taking the long way there. Rode through Tam Coc village on the way. This was an adventure and an experience. Got to feel just how riding a scooter in Vietnam is, with traffic and stress mixed in with smells, many of them unpleasant. . I was really focused on the road and conditions, but some sections of the countryside were beautiful, especially riding past rice fields. We got there and it was quite crowded. I paid about a buck to park the scooter and we hiked up to see the pagoda inset into the hillside, kinda cool. We continued hiking up to the top, where there was a decent but not great viewpoint along with a small shrine. Then a careful hike back down, after which we decided to walk over to Chua Linh Coc. It was about 1 km to get there, initially on busy streets but the last half on a quiet road. Hardly anyone was there, and a female Buddhist caretaker took our money and turned on the lights for the Fairy Cave. We hiked up another set of stairs to the cave entrance, which was not imposing. Through the narrow entrance, and right away Ann saw that this wasn't for her (great call). I climbed through the cave, having to duck a lot, crawl some, and hike up and down rough stone steps. It was pretty interesting for the small entrance fee. To the end and then back, where we sat at the entrance and decided where to have lunch. Then we hiked back to the parking lot where the scooter was, and rode back into Tam Coc village. Lots of traffic and gas/diesel fumes, and I missed my turn to the Coffee Cat Café. Using Google Maps with headphones to direct me isn't easy on unfamiliar roads, but we made it there. Lunch was decent, smoothies were good, and there were several cats around the cage, as advertised. BTW, we saw some water buffalo by Chua Linh Coc, the adults were impressive. Decided, after lunch, to stop in the village and look around, but the scooter was idling so low that it stalled a couple of times, so I decided we should head directly back. Took the short route this time, and it was more fun as soon as we got out of town and onto back roads. Safely back to the hotel, where we chilled in the room for the latter p and then art of the afternoon. We decided to ride into Hoa Lu Old Town in the early evening. It is actually a new development, Ann said it reminded her of Seaport Village, and she's right. Some pretty lights and Buddhist pagodas there. We walked all around the place before riding back in the dark. The ride there was okay, a little sketchy. The ride back was definitely tense for me. Streets bear our hotel weren't well lit, and there were pedestrians and oncoming traffic that really made it difficult to see the road and avoid others. At one point Google Maps directed us onto a dark, dirt road with major potholes, and there was no way that would turn out okay. We turned around and rerouted to a better way, which was still scary at times. The scooter was low on battery and didn't have enough illumination for this kind of riding. Also, the horn didn't work, the idle was set too low, and the front brake was spongy. But other than that.... I was super glad to get back to the hotel. We dropped the scooter off and walked to a nearby restaurant for a casual dinner. Packed up a little before going to sleep.

Pickleball