Left yesterday morning for Ninh Binh province. The hotel manager a week ago told me he would arrange for a car and driver for less than a private tour (the private tours can be costly because one person pays the same as the group.) So the driver showed up yesterday and then wanted more money. So with some scurrying, he found another driver and, fortunately, this one spoke more English. So another harrowing experience of navigating the motor scooter rush hour traffic f of Hanoi. Traffic on the highway was better, but no one stays in lanes, motor scooters are everywhere (and people even text while riding motor scooters), and everyone honks incessantly to try to pass someone else. I will take LA rush hour traffic anyday over this!

Around 11AM, we arrived at Van Long, a nature preserve. It was pretty isolated and had a fleet of well-worn bamboo boats. The guide book advised a 90 minute boat ride which in reality was 60 minutes for twice the money with a cigarette smoking Vietnamese man paddling the boat. Saw a few egrets and maybe "to cranes and some nice, but not to die over" scenery. Once finished, we walked by tables from local women with very different wares to sell - more delicately embroidered tablecloths and runners and some lace work.

Then on the Kenh Ga, about 30 minutes drive. Had lunch in the one restaurant in town - I had rice (with a few little black things in it) and some fried fish with tomatoes and Vietnamese spinach and my trusty bottled water to drink. This was a 1 1/2 hour boat ride on a river with some nice limestone peaks sort of like Halong bay and a trip to a fishing village only accessible by boat. I was the only one on the boat although later a couple of other boats came by with some small tour groups. On the way to the village we towed a small boat with four women from the village. I was able to walk around the village for about half an hour and take many pictures - quite photogenic. The boat driver was enjoying my company although she and I had no words in common. On the way back she had me drive the boat and took my picture.

Then off the Cuc Phuong National Park, about an hour away. The road in was sort of like driving on an oversized sidewalk and involved the requisite honking and dodging and passing motor scooters. Checked in and was given a room in a small chalet about 2 kms from the entrance at a quiet little lake. I went for a little walk around the lake and adjacent road thoroughly enjoying myself when the "turista" hit out of nowhere. I won't provide the details, but it was a long and rather sleepless night and fortunately passed by the middle of the next day. As I had only taken overnight clothes with me, I left all my remedies for maladies in Hanoi. In addition to my internal affliction, there was a very loud rainstorm in the middle of the night,

Today feeling a bit sapped, I got up, ate some bread for breakfast, and a little chat with a French woman also staying at a little chalet. I started to walk back to the entrance area when it started to rain. The French couple and driver came by and nicely offered me ride. I went on a tour of the turtle rescue center and primate rescue center at the park for about an hour which was interesting. Turtles are rescued so, in part, they do not end up in Chinese soup. The primates are all SE Asian. Major support for this small center is from the Frankfurt Zoo, but many other zoos provide support including the San Diego Zoo.

A German couple and their son were in the group and we chatted. Both are civil engineers working with water systems. The man had been here in Vietnam for three months working on a project to improve the water system for a university or college that he said was unhealthy and horrible. His wife and son met him and they were travelling together. He had very little good to say about doing business with the Vietnamese. Once the project was completed, the Vietnamese response was that it was very nice for Germany, but wouldn't work in Vietnam. If anythingf needed to be done, it required a multitude of documents and government decrees.

Next stop was the interior of the park. I decided to go on the walk to see the 1000 year old tree. The sign said 3 ktm, but I would guess it was closer to 7 and involved climbing up stairs and going down slippery muddy trails for 3 mountains. It was raining when I started, and although that stopped, the humidity seemed to be about 150% although not super hot. I saw some butterflies and a few insects, but none of the birds or other more exotic wildlife reported to live in the park. The terrain was rain forest. The tree looks like a big fig tree split in the middle. Interesting, yes, a giant Sequioa - no, and worth the hike, debatable. No major catastrophes on the hike other than stopping to rest and leaning against a tree for about 15 seconds and shortly thereafter finding a leech attached to my wrist and slipping (not falling) on some mud and having some plant thorns attack my hand. When I got back the driver, a young man of 27, said he was worried and didn't know where I was or how to find me since I was late getting back.

We set off for Hanoi with some more rain. I slept a little and read and so much for the past two days. Tomorrow is my last day in Hanoi.