Hi All,
Getting from Sa Pa to Cat Ba Island turned out to be quite an ordeal! We began on a 6 hour sleeper bus leaving Sa Pa at half 10 in the evening. While Ross slept the majority of the way, Danielle lay awake after hearing the girl behind being sick; paranoid that she also would be. We arrived in Hanoi at 4am! Without a hotel to go to and 3 and a half hours until our next bus, we wandered the streets of the old town. We headed towards a small restaurant renowned for its great ‘Pho Bo’ - beef noodle soup. At 5am it’s doors opened and we savoured a delicious bowl full each, taking our time with each mouthful. As we headed back towards the bus stop we saw the city coming alive just before the sun came up; ladies setting up roadside stalls of fresh fruit and veg, security men waving us good morning and street food vendors preparing for the morning rush. We waited at the booking office for just under an hour before we set off on our next bus. A mini-bus, ferry boat and coach later, we arrived on Cat Ba Island.
Unfortunately, the weather forecast looked bleak. We opted to spend the first day exploring the island on a moped in the hope that the skies would clear for a boat trip the following day. Our first stop was to visit Cannon Fort. It was built by the Japanese during World War Two and used subsequently by the French and Vietnamese in other conflicts. We then went on to the ‘Hospital Cave’, used during Vietnam American war. We were surprised by how extensive it was, with three floors of wards, operating theatres and sleeping quarters. During the war, 200 people (soldiers and civilians) sheltered here as the American bombs could not penetrate the 50m thick walls of rock. The drizzle turned to heavy rain by the afternoon, stinging our faces as we drove through what would have been beautiful and dramatic scenery back to our hotel.
The weather was back on our side the following day, just in time for the boat trip we were both looking forward to. It was still overcast but the rain stayed away - the sun even attempted to shine through for the afternoon. It was a fantastic day that exceeded both of our expectations! The forest covered limestone cliffs of Lan Ha bay were seriously impressive; over 600 of them erupting out of the water to form little coves and inlets. This bay is much less popular than its neighbour Ha Long Bay as it is harder to reach but equally as beautiful. As we set off, we passed several floating fishing villages. We were amazing to see how these people spend their lives on the water. Rather than living on house boats, they live in small buildings (resembling sheds) sat on a grid of timber and oil barrels; nets strung out in each quadrant to forming small scale fish farms.
Our first stop was at ‘Monkey Island’ where Ross made a little friend who was interest in his rucksack and came hiking with us to the top of the island. The view from the top was incredible and worth the rock climbing we had to do to reach it. The highlight of our day was kayaking into a peaceful lagoon through a small cave opening. Danielle was sat the front so couldn’t get away with not paddling! When we returned to the main boat, the tables were set with a feast for lunch. Ross played mother and dished up the whole fish to the Swiss and Chilean men we shared a table with. As we returned to the island we stopped off for a swim; us and one French girl the only ones brave (or daft) enough to jump in when it was so chilly outside!
Just a short one from us this time but plenty of photos to click through! We are off to Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park next - home to the world’s largest cave.
Love R and D xxx
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