Ninh Binh was about two and a half hours from Hanoi by train, but seemed like a world apart. The area was extremely picturesque with karst hills, like the ones at Halong bay, but this time jutting up amidst paddy fields. We decided to have a complete change from our usual hotel and booked to stay in a bamboo hut. In the event our bamboo hut was huge, with its own tiled floor bathroom complete with flushing Western toilet and one of the best showers we'd seen all trip. The back of the hut was nestled against the cliff wall, with the front overlooking the frog pond. Best of all, it was surrounded by fresh air. After five days in Hanoi this was bliss. We woke on our first morning to the first daytime rain of our holiday. Hoping it would subside we distracted ourselves with some itinerary planning, but the rain only got heavier. It felt very indulgent to allow ourselves to have a lazy day, alternating research for the trip with a few computer games, as the rain and thunder crashed round us. As the weather calmed and the rain and thunder stopped the frogs once more serenaded us with their croaking. Next day however we were blessed with a beautiful day so we again acquired some wheels, this time with attached pedals rather than an engine. The road from the site to the main road was composed of pebble and hole, so it made for a bumpy start, and with undercarriages suitably bruised we pedalled on to reach the Bich Dong temple. This was an interesting place as the temple was built into the rock face, with some pathways behind it through caves to further shrines. There were a lot of steps, but as is often the case you often have to climb a lot of steps to get the best view, and we did. Legs suitably worked we decided we needed to rest them before heading back and found somewhere we could have lunch and a cold beer. The afternoon took us back to Tam Coc and we pedalled out to the bridge to see the boatmen and boatwomen ferrying passengers down river. This was particularly interesting as they control the oars using only their feet.Johns already in awe by the ability of the Vietnamese to squat without actually touching the floor with anything except their feet, thus was equally impressed. Ninh Binh, and neighbouring Tam Coc seemed a world away from the hustle and bustle of Hanoi, and the proximity to nature was a real tonic. It's somewhere we would be happy to return to.