After two wonderful days on Halong bay it was time to leave. The guy at the tour company told us the ferry back to Tuan Chua left at 8 am, 11 am or 3 pm. We figured we could take it easy in the morning and slowly make our way to the ferry terminal at the other side of the island and catch the ferry at 11. It took us a bit longer than expected to pack our stuff however, so when we left the hotel we were in a bit of a rush. When we were just a few minutes from the terminal,  the chain on my bike jumped off the sprocket. At this point I thought we would miss the ferry for sure so I rolled back down the hill in search for a mechanic. A lady got the chain back on for me and we set out for the ferry terminal again, to at least get some tickets. On the way out the chain jumped a second time but with a bit of fiddling I got it back on my own and we could continue.

When we got to the terminal we realized  the tour guy had given us the wrong schedule. For low season, the ferries leave at 9 am, 1 pm and 4 pm, so we hadn’t missed it. With a fair bit of time to spare we decided to see a bit more of the island but only a few hundred meters along the road the chain jump again. With such frequent stops it felt a bit risky to go anywhere so we turned back to the terminal and waited.

Once the ferry brought us back to Tuan Chua we went in search of a mechanic. It took a little while but eventually we found one who could tension the chain. I paid attention to how he did it, now I just need to buy a wrench and I can take care of it myself.

With the bike back in shape we headed out on the road towards Ninh Binh. It was an uneventful journey along boring roads so no photos this time. Tomorrow we explore Ninh Binh.