Up for 9ish to make sure we don’t miss our free breakfast – not a bad view either

After, we go back to our bungalow and do some work before getting started with the day

Straight to the centre where we find the Tam Cốc-Bích Động ticket office – not too easy to find, especially when roasting in these temperatures

We grab our tickets and head nearby to Sun Store Laundry & Cafe that serves one large chicken and a large pork char sui bahn mi as well as a couple sprites and a coconut coffee

The office gives us a ride back to where we pick up the boat for the trip; it begins on a little sampan boat taking us along the waterway here

It’s very toasty but we’re glad our driver – who is expertly rowing the boat with her feat, btw – has an umbrella to keep her out of the sun’s rays

The ride takes us up and down the river which is sprinkled with lots of rice fields along it

The journey also takes us through three caves: first Ca Cave, then Hai Cave and finally Ba Cave, all progressively getting lower as we go through!

After this, we get dropped in a different location to where we started and get carted, in an electric taxi-like thing, with the first stop being at Hang Thiên Hương

It even has a little shrine here

After, we’re taken again on the taxi round the corner to Thai Vi Temple

This one is a bit more of a complex of buildings with views of the limestone cliffs surrounding it as well as very detailed stone staircase rails

Next, we’re taken to Chùa Linh Cốc which is a Buddhist temple and is another one in a cave

You have to travel through Fairy Cave to see the entirety of it

At the other end, we get to have a minute to take in the area’s beauty before being whisked to the final stop: Bích Động Pagoda

This is a very beautiful temple that you get to via a small bridge as it’s within a limestone island

The place has five posters displaying a bit of detail about karma, one of the core beliefs, before you head up the steps as, again, it’s up some steps to a cave

It’s far too hot to be doing this!

Truly amazing to see such buildings made around the cave as well as it giving you time to fully appreciate the gorgeous-ness of the landscape

Once we reach the top, where a final shrine is, we head back down and grab the taxi back to town

We go collect our lovingly prepared laundry and then get back to our hotel to have a brief stop off and then out to Banana Tree Hostel and Sunset Bar

With a couple of happy hour cocktails, we play in their pool for about an hour

We go back to have a clean up and then time for some dinner; earlier we spied various animals being cooked on a BBQ so we have that in mind

Our first choice actually ran out ???? but there are a few others doing different types so we go to Pig Family Cafe & Restaurant

A very good deal of some duck, salad, chips, noodles and sauce gets us some jazzy DIY spring rolls – it even included a ‘how to’

We then go have a wander and see if anywhere has anything else to offer us – turns out not so much, and not for as cheap, so we go back and have a Hawaiian pizza to finish our cravings with a couple beers

They have some games too so we play some connect four before heading off

We aim for a place nearby where we’re staying – which is actually a bus as a venue – but it’s not very busy so go back to the Banana Tree Hostel for a couple of bargain beers

After those, we go back and try and get some rest