The restaurant was empty, but it had good reviews. I made my way in and asked if it was open. A very smiley man eagerly said yes of course and welcomed me in. I was starving. I had spent most of the day travelling to reach Tam Coc from Hoi An, which meant taking a taxi, a plane and then another taxi. I was back in the North of Vietnam, a decision I had made last minute – I had decided to not reach the south for this particular trip, following someone’s advice.
The waiter came over with an English menu, recommending dishes and I eagerly said yes to the crispy pancakes and some spring rolls. It was also cold, a lot cooler than it had been in Hoi An, so I ordered some Vietnamese Green tea as well. As there were not many customers around at that time, he came over to make some conversation after I finished my delicious food. He told me how he had been a tour guide before the pandemic hit, and was asking me if I needed some advice. I told him I was planning to use the bike rental service from the homestay and he immediately started going on and on about the best cycling routes I needed to take… and while I was very thankful for all the advice, there was simply no way I could register in my brain the routes he was showing me on Google Maps. Again very very kind. And all he asked in return was for me to leave a nice review of the restaurant on TripAdvisor. Something that I would be asked to do everywhere, or almost everywhere. And because the food was indeed amazing, and the waiter was so incredibly welcoming, I’m also linking it here. If you ever are in Tam Coc, this is one of the best places to go for a nice meal – the Lantern Restaurant.
On that day there wasn’t much I could do. I walked around the village of Tam Coc, got some food from a local grocery store and went back to the Homestay. At this point, I experienced a little bit of attitude from the woman in the reception. I had noticed when checking in earlier that there was only a single towel in the room, a small one, the kind of towel I’d use for my hands and face. I actually thought that was a mistake and they had forgotten to give me a towel for my hands and another for the shower. So I asked if I could get another towel, and the woman smirked and said “One is not enough?!” as if I was asking for something absolutely outrageous. In every single accommodation I had stayed in until that point, I had always had at least four towels, and I only used 2, and reused them, as I wanted to be as sustainable as possible. She did give me another towel, but the way she talked to me made me feel I was acting like a princess. Thankfully everyone else at the Homestay was incredibly nice and kind. Perhaps she was just having a bad day. We all have those.
The place where I stayed was incredibly good value for money, had a beautiful garden with a swimming pool (which of course I didn’t use as it was winter weather) and a whole bungalow just for myself. Again, this a recommendation, just bear in mind they may not like when you ask for more towels. It is called The Melody Tam Coc Homestay. They also had bike and scooter rental services, and I can say the bike was in good enough condition.
In addition, this cute little poodle with its red sweater was always guarding the place, and there were cats and kittens everywhere, a paradise for a pet lover like myself.
Finally, the next day, I jumped on the bike and started to explore. My goal was to cycle through the rice fields, and that was an adventure. I tried to follow some of the routes the kind waiter had told me about, but I found myself getting lost, ending up in what seemed abandoned construction sites. Yet, part of travelling is also allowing yourself to get lost. Even when rice field rats were crossing the paths in front of me, I was enjoying the freedom. It was me, just me, the rice fields, and the occasional local taking care of their crops. At that point, I was not seeing many locals in the fields either, as everyone was preparing for Lunar New Year. So I actually felt relieved when I encountered other tourists like myself, a look of bewilderment on their faces, clearly also feeling a bit lost like myself, not so sure which turn to take. But that made me feel like I wasn’t mad. It was all right.
And it felt right. I felt free. A free, adventurous soul, the kind of stuff I usually think is not a part of who I am but always notice when I’m travelling that yes, they are. It’s the shackles of the day-to-day, the judgement of others, the constant pressure to be presented as someone serious and law-abiding, a responsible and conscientious adult that often makes us hide or even suppress parts of ourselves, to the point we forget we had them. We forget those are also part of who we are, and most likely hiding them, suppressing them, is what’s stopping us from living our best life.
Riding a bike by myself in the countryside of Vietnam, getting dirty with mud and dust, without a proper map or sense of orientation, and without speaking the language may seem crazy, but it really isn’t. It’s all part of discovering a country, a culture. Of being able to stumble upon a group of goats sleeping on the side of the road, stopping for a bit to admire the stunning landscaping that kept surprising me at every corner. Riding towards the sunset knowing that I do have to rush a little or I’ll be out of daylight.
The adrenaline, the rush, the calm, the tranquillity. So many strong emotions and feelings are what make us alive, make us feel alive more than anything. At times like that I am reminded of the civilised way I am living back home, so civilised that even getting some mud on my shoes looks like an irresponsible act. An act of rebellion. That is what is crazy, wouldn’t you agree?
Riding a bike when travelling is one of the things I like to do the most. There is a sense of freedom that I find indescribable. It feels natural, part of me, and an extension of my body. It is also clean. Something that I value so much in the country of mopeds. Definitely, some of my favourite moments in Vietnam involved exploring with a bike – in Cat Ba Island, Hoi An and then here, in the region of Ninh Binh.
And with the bike, I got to visit wonderful places outside of Tam Coc village. Those will come in the next posts!
Love, Nic
The Winged Bone 
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