Ha Long

On Monday I took the train out of Hanoi bound for the coast. A thick, drizzly fog hung heavy over the rice fields as we slowly chugged towards the coastal port of Haiphong. I met up with three British and two Lithuanian travelers (both called Thomas) and caught the hydrofoil over to Cat Ba Island. Cat Ba town was not particularly pretty, being over run with hotels that stood almost empty, this being winter and the tourist off season. I shared a room with the Lithuanians, a TV, a view and hot water for only $3!

 

In the Jungle

On Tuesday we went deep into the island jungle. Half of Cat Ba Island is national park, making for excellent trekking through the pristine rain forest. The rugged limestone landscape provided a steep path that climbed and descended over successive hills that were at times shrouded in cloud. The last decent was the most challenging, the limestone and clay soil becoming slippery in the wet, causing many slips and stumbles. A much needed lunch was provided at a local village, proving to be one of the best meals in Vietnam thus far. Perhaps it was made even better by the long walk but everyone agreed that it was top notch. Return to Cat Ba Town was via a boat ride through a wonderous seascape of forest toped limestone karsts hanging upon a flat emerald sea.

  

The View Over Ha Long Bay



On Wednesday I took a boat out across Ha Long Bay, watching the beautiful scenery unfold from it's top deck. The weather was cold and hazy, making photography frustratingly difficult. There was an hour of kayaking before lunch to explore sheltered bays, gliding through clear, still waters over coral reefs and fields of submerged sand filled baskets of some unknown type of aquaculture (sea snails perhaps?). A less sublime stop on our journey was to a cave that would have been nice were it not filled with a continuous stream of noisy Chinese package tourists, completely spoiling the subterranean ambience. The final stop was to an island (one of hundreds) which would have been idyllic if it were not populated by Rhesus monkeys, the most malevolent of monkey of them all. I carefully avoided them as I ascended to the highest point of the island.  More photos can be found here.

On Thursday I returned to Hanoi which oddly felt like I was returning home. Tomorrow I’m off to the mountains to Sapa.