APRIL - MAY 2011
We arrived at Cat Ba Island on Liberation / Reunification Day, the weekend that ALL Vietnamese in HaNoi set off for the coast on their hols. It was absolute mayhem when we arrived. Hundreds of Vietnamese strolling the Cat Ba promenade with barely another tourist insight. I had made a bit of an error in assuming it would be easy enough to find accommodation during the hols. It was not. We, accompanied by two Dutch boys, scoured the few streets of Cat Ba in search of a free room. Hotels were either full or owners were shouting for crazy amounts of dollars for one night! Eeps! Eventually Tom and I found a room in a moto taxi driver's sister's house for a crazy price but after two hours of searching we gave up. I usually just rock up to a town, even during national holidays, and find a budget room, this time was a HUGE exception. I have never seen anything like it! So if you're in Vietnam around 30th April book a room otherwise you will be faced with stress and near homelessness!
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| Bowls of different seafoods to purchase live and eat later. A few endangered species available, alongside geckos getting their throat slit at the time of purchase. Yuk! Scorpions and various snakes also for sale. |
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| Floating market, seafood wares, and a conical hat. |
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| A beautiful view over Halong Bay. |
We took a glorious boat tour from Cat Ba Island via The Amazing Cave to Halong Bay and a few secluded beaches. Halong Bay is made up of stunning, huge, and beautiful limestone karsts that litter the sea around. We kayaked alongside some floating fishing villages and through tiny openings amongst the karsts to near seclusion. I used my intuitive navigation skills for an hour to guide us through the maze of the bay, leading us between the huge karst islands to remote spots and right alongside the fishing villages and over their fishing cages at the bottom of the sea. It was so wonderfully beautifully scenic.
Awww the poor little geckos! Looks very scenic despite the neck slashing antics!!
ReplyDeleteAre you going all-out veggie now then Evey? I am down to just eating meat once or twice a week if I'm out/eating at a friend's house (can't remember last time I cooked meat at home bar a little tinned tuna that was lurking in my cupboard), and with Thurs club mark2 having now decided to be veggie, even that is getting less and less! xxx
Well pescatarian if you will, plus fishing out the odd bit of ground up pork from my noodle soup. I'm not being too precious about it. But if I get involved in Thursday Club 2 I may have to show some leniency! x x
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