The Ha Long Bay / Cat Ba Island 'experience'

What we signed up for:

• One night sleeping on a junk.
• Visits to various caves & Monkey Island.
• Sea kayaking.
• Fishing and then barbecuing the catch on the beach.
• One night in a hotel on Cat Ba Island.
• A trek around Cat Ba National Park.

What we got:

• A ride on the junk to Hang Trong Caves and then to Cat Ba Island.
• Two nights at the hotel - "No passport, no boat!"
• The kayaking being cancelled.
• No fishing.
• No barbecue.
• No Monkey Island.
• Some poor food.

***


On the first day we bumped into Neil & Jess - again! - in an internet cafe on Cat Ba Island and had a few drinks with them at a bar that night. We said our "goodbyes" and wished each other the best, because this time it really was the last time that we’d be seeing each other in Southeast Asia. Although I wouldn’t be at all surprised if when I eventually get home to find them moving in next-door!

Maria left on the boat the next morning - a day early - after we were told that we wouldn’t be spending the night on the boat. Andi, Gaby, Michelle & I went on the two hour 'trek' up a mountain and back down. It wasn’t particularly challenging but the views were stunning.

After the trek we had a few hours spare before the sea kayaking, so Gaby & I walked to the beach where I soon fell asleep. When we returned to the hotel we were told that the kayaking had been delayed by one hour so we went to our room and watched the end of Gladiator. It turned out that really the kayaking had been cancelled - the driver was 'ill' - and they didn’t want to tell us. By then it was to late to go back to the beach so what was there for us to do but sit on the dock and watch the sunset with a bottle of wine whilst listening to some music?

The next day we were on the boat and bus back to Hanoi, were we booked ourselves back in to The Nok War Storage again - it might noisy but it’s cheap! Gaby & I had dinner at Tamarind, a restaurant that sells veggie food. I ordered an aubergine and Soya curd hot-pot plus a pot of 'proper' ginger tea. It was a delicious meal!