Tam Coc Cave Tour in Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam

On December 17, 2019December 17, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Vietnam2 Comments

One of the more popular day tours from Hanoi is to go to the Ninh Binh province, especially to do the Tam Coc caves (which actually means three caves). There are a couple of styles of boats that will take you along the Ngo Dong River, but the ones where the oarsman rows with their feet are different from anything else that we’ve done. The caves themselves are quite interesting as they have been carved out by the river and they actually create tunnels that take you under the mountain by boat.

Boats Going One After Another Through the Caves

The area of Ninh Binh is also known as the Halong Bay of Inner Vietnam for obvious reasons if you visit both of them as we did. The scenery is absolutely beautiful with the mountain scenery and the rice paddies. Due to the popularity of the tour, you will likely find a lot of boats on the river with you as you make your way through the three caves. In fact, we actually teased during our tour that it almost felt like we were on a ride in Disneyworld as the boats went one by one through the caves.

Most tours provide you with a local, handwoven hat, which you will need to protect from the sun during the hour and half tour. The limestone caves have unique formations due to the elements that have created them and will be within arm’s reach at some points as you make your way through them. One of the caves is so long that you will virtually be in the dark as you pass through it. As the boat turns around after passing through the last cave, there will be boats with local vendors offering to sell you drinks, snacks, and other items.

We saw so many amazing sights during our time in Vietnam and Tam Coc in the Ninh Binh province was certainly one of our favorites. There are a variety of choices of places that you can visit during a Ninh Binh tour, but we would highly recommend making Tam Coc one the choices that you make. Between the scenery, the caves, and the unique boats, it is well worth dealing with the potential crowds.

Making the Most of Our Final Days in Vietnam

On November 29, 2019November 27, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Vietnam2 Comments

As our trip to Hanoi, Vietnam came to a close, we took several tours that took us to the countryside outside of Hanoi. We even did an overnight tour of Halong Bay with its amazing scenery. Each of the tours was special in its own way and we’ll detail them in full once we return home. We look forward to describing each of the tours once we return home, but here a few photographs to provide a slight glimpse into the beauty that this country has to offer.

Pagoda Building in the Perfume Pagoda Complex

View of the Mountains of Ninh Binh Provence

Enjoying a Boat Ride near Perfume Pagoda

River with the Three Caves of Tam Coc in Ninh Binh

Mount Rushmore and South Dakota

On August 14, 2019August 14, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn South Dakota4 Comments

One of the most iconic places to visit within the United States is Mount Rushmore National Memorial, which is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. With the enormous carvings of the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, it is quite an amazing site to see in person. In addition to Mount Rushmore, there is also Custer State Park, the Crazy Horse Memorial, and Wind Cave National Park. Since we drove from Colorado through Wyoming on our way to South Dakota, we also included a trip to Little Bighorn, the site of Custer’s last stand.

Little Bighorn National Memorial is the site of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, which is also known as “Custer’s Last Stand”, that occurred in June of 1876. Standing on the grassy hills, staring out at the open land, it is hard to imagine how the men of the 7th Cavalry Regiment commanded by George Armstrong Custer must have felt when they were surrounded by the warriors of the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapahoe nations. The battlefield is located about a five hour drive west of Mount Rushmore and, if you are at all interested in historical locations, it is well worth the drive. It certainly conjures up visions of the true old west, not necessarily the glamorized Hollywood version of the old west, but the harsh and bloody west that was filled with as much violence as there was heroism. Over 270 members of the 7th Cavalry lost their lives in the battle, including George Custer and two of his brothers.

Memorial Tombstones at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Memorial

Actual Headstones where George Custer is Buried

George Washing with Thomas Jefferson Looking Over His Shoulder

In addition to just seeing Mount Rushmore, it is worth taking the time to hike around Mount Rushmore and viewing the enormous figures of the founding fathers carved into the side of the mountain from different angles. Seeing the different views of the sculptures carved into the side of the mountain from different angles provides an opportunity to really understand how the figures were chiseled from the mountainside . Also, viewing the profiles of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln from various perspectives allows you to fully appreciate the detail in the work of art. Also be sure to go and see the Crazy Horse Memorial. Although not completed, it is still an impressive site and will hopefully, one day, be the fitting tribute to all Native Americans as it was intended to be. If it is completed, it might become the world’s largest sculpture.

We also visited the Wind Cave National Park while we were in South Dakota, which offered a candlelight tour that is extremely limited in the number of guests that can participate and takes you to parts of the cave that other tourists can’t see. So, we had booked tickets for that tour in advance of going to South Dakota, which we’re extremely glad that we did. We had some time to kill before our tour, so before going to the cave for a little spelunking, we went to Cosmos Mystery Area. It is actually a pretty interesting site where things seem to defy the normal rules of gravity. We’re sure it is all just an optical illusion, but it was fun just the same. Wind Cave is one of the longest and most complex caves in the world and has a unique geological formation on its walls called boxwork. The highlight of the tour was when, at the deepest part of the cave on the tour, the ranger had us all blow out our candles and sit in absolute darkness as light can’t reach that part of the cave. Needless to say, it was quite an amazing day.

Located about an hour south of Mount Rushmore is the Hot Springs, which is home to the Mammoth Site. The Mammoth Site has the largest concentration of mammoth remains, both wooly and Columbian, in the world. It is an active paleontological dig site where you can actually get your hands dirty and help dig up some of the bones. Seeing something that old being discovered first hand as they excavate the earth and expose the remains is something that you won’t soon forget. It is a very much a contrast to seeing Mount Rushmore, but well worth putting on your itinerary.

Another interesting location to see while in South Dakota is Custer State Park where you can do some hiking and if you like, you can go on a Hayride Chuck Wagon Cookout at Blue Bell in the park. If you want an up-close experience with herds of buffalo, this is the best place to do it, maybe even better than at Yellowstone. In addition to the buffalos, there were also wild herds of donkeys, who were very friendly, perhaps too friendly. There are also plenty of trails to get out and enjoy the great outdoors and we took a pleasant hike to a beautiful lake. The chuck wagon dinner was a ton of fun and they even got the kids, all of them, including the 15 year old, up and dancing to the chicken dance. It was truly the perfect ending to a very memorable trip.

If you haven’t been to South Dakota or to Mount Rushmore, you should definitely make it a location to get to some day. The mountains are beautiful, Mount Rushmore is amazing, and there are a lot of fun things to do in the area. We even found time to go to Wall Drug, which is supposed to be the world’s biggest drug store. It was a little hokey, but sometimes you have to look at life’s oddities as well. This trip was from many years ago, so we apologize for the quality of the photographs, but it doesn’t take away from our memories of the experience.