Today was a day of travel.

We were up at 7.30am and just had time to enjoy our last luxury breakfast at the Melia, before picking up a cab and heading to nearby Dong Hoi domestic airport for our 10.30am flight to Hanoi.

It was a short hop to the capital, with a flight time of just 1hr and we enjoyed a relatively smooth and pleasant journey thanks to Vietnam Airways.

It was a good job we landed when we did, as within 15mins the heavens had opened and a biblical rain storm set it at the airport.

The journey from Hanoi to Ninh Binh is roughly 100km. So we had the option to travel by train or go by private car.

Our research told us that we could get a Grab (taxi) which could get us there in 1hr 45mins for the cost of a good meal.

With the rain showing no sign of abating, and the train station some way from the airport, we plumped for a cab and got settled in.

Due to the heavy rain and congested roads around Hanoi, the journey time from start to finish moved out and was soon closer to 2hrs 30mins, thankfully as we headed south away from Hanoi, and into the countryside, the sunshine returned.

The views for the last few miles passing Trang An made us realise what a beautiful part of Vietnam this is, and what a great idea it was to detour here for a few days.

By the time we arrived at Tam Coc, it was late afternoon and we both felt a little fatigued after the journey.

Within a hour however we were back out exploring the area in search of nourishment, and also to plan our tours of the area.

There is so much to see and do, such is the beauty of Ninh Binh.

After a productive few hours we managed to organise a jeep ride tour of Ninh Binh which sounds a real adventure and something different. Added to that we have booked a day tour which includes a paddle boat tour to Trang An, a walk up to Hang Mua hill, as well as visits to Hoa Lu (ancient capital), Bai Dinh temple and the Bich Dong Pagoda. So that’s rivers, caves, temples and old capital cities covered off!!

The centre of Tam Coc has a pretty lake where you can hire a boat, so we will add this to the list of things to do over the next couple of days.

But first, we found ourselves a good restaurant to eat at called Minh Nhat, which looked popular and had a good selection of Vietnamese cuisine and importantly reasonably priced beers!!

Tam Coc is a thriving place with a great selection of places to eat, bars and travel agents. After more walking we found the bus operator stop which will take us up to the island of Cat Ba in 3 days time.

We had a chat with our friendly travel guide, and thankfully he got us a ferry ticket added to our bus trip, so we will get taken all the way to the door of our next hotel MGallery in Cat Hai. Feels good to get all this sorted.

Next time we looked up dusk had arrived and the night-sky was briefly lit through the clouds making for a vivid sight.

We continued our wandering along the main street and popped into a few local stalls, Michelle managed to pick out some souvenirs for our nieces and nephews back at home, before we returned to the comfort of Tam Coc Holiday Hotel.

The weather tomorrow promises to be a solid belt of sunshine, so we are planning a relaxing start in the morning, before a spot of cycling to explore the immediate mountain area. Our tour days then follow on Saturday & Sunday and promise to be full days of activities. Until then.