A few SI quirks limit my choice of photos to those less than 2.0 or 2.1 MB in size (which includes some beautiful panoramas), and disallow all videos.
Posted Nov. 23:
Each place we visited yesterday in Ninh Binh merits a story. Wow, WoW, and WOW! My greatest regret about yesterday is that I couldn’t use all my cameras at once. We first went to Lying Dragon Mountain, followed by Bai Dinh Temple, and ended with Trang An (route #1).
Lying Dragon mountain is visible from Tam Coc. It consists of a few shrines and stone dragons, and a whole lot of steps to climb. The view from the top is... well, you decide from the photos here.
Lying Dragon Mountain as seen from Tam Coc:
Upper and lower peaks of Lying Dragon Mountain:
Another view from the top (I posted this one or one like it before, but I don't get tired of it):
More from Nov. 23:Bai Dinh is the most magnificent temple complex I’ve ever seen, home to a 32 foot tall bronze Buddha and the largest pagoda in Vietnam. After Lying Dragon Mountain I was tired of climbing steps, but there are many more steps here than at the mountain! This place is a must see! We didn’t have time (or energy) to visit the original 900 year old temple further back in the mountain, but what we saw was fabulous.
Ten thousand Buddhas at Bai Dinh:
Multi-armed Buddha at Bai Dinh:
One of many sets of steps at Bai Dinh:
Also from Nov. 23:
Trang An Grottoes is my favorite place in Ninh Binh. You’re given a choice of 3 tour routes, 2 of which take you by the movie set for King Kong: Skull Island, and one which bypasses the movie set in favor of passage through 9 caves. I’m not a big movie buff and I love caves, so the choice was easy. Trang An Grottoes is head and shoulders above Tam Coc! The water was still and clear, the mountains were higher, we saw flowers and wildlife everywhere. It was a photographer’s dream! And ever so relaxing! The only downside is that we spent 2 1/2 hours on a hard bench in a boat, and my tailbone still hurts a good 12 hours later.
(you've already seen a lot from Trang An, so only one more at this time):
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