Kayaking in Cat Ba...Don't Eat the Mussles

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So far my favorite activity in Vietnam--kayaking in Halong Bay. This morning we chartered our own boat complete with captain & cook for a day in Halong Bay. The scenery was absolutely amazing, huge karsts rose out of the ocean taking me back in time to pirate escapades & tall ships with manly men at the helm. Tiny little fishing boats dotted the water & fisherman paddled about. We docked in Halong Bay & after a game of charades--tide too low, tide too high, we eventually got into kayak-like boats & paddled out into caves & deserted green-blue pools of sparkling water. Got a few excellent pictures along with a few minor scrapes on mussels. Imagine that. Lunch on the boat was amazing. Quiet a feast of squid, prawns, fish, cabbage, veggies & beer. Our captain even went out for some fresh mussels (later to become my downfall). After lunch we were off to another little island & climbed to the top to take in the view. I watched the sunset by myself that evening incredibly content with my day.

The next day I got a little surprise and no it wasn't a million dollars or a butler bringing me breakfast in bed, but rather I was the proud winner of a day spent puking & pooping. Ah, food poisoning...there you are--don't eat the mussels! I didn't really get out of bed all day except for the sprints to the toilet & eventually managed to get a little food down that evening. Kinda ruined my plans for motobiking around the island & hiking in the hills. Damnit!

February 1st, ah, the funniest (in retrospect), yet by far the worst travel day of my life. We got up at 5:15 AM to catch the ferry back to Haiphong and about a 1/2 hour in, Adam realized that he didn't have his passport. Charades, pleading, begging, eventually got us off on Cat Hai Island & we took a ferry back to another side of Cat Ba Island & unleashed the moto beast & headed back to town. Quick conversation with the hotel staff & Adam's back asking me how much I like him. Guess the passport is NOT THERE, but in Haiphong. Oops. So, we got back on the motobike, to the port, to the ferry, biked across Cat Hai Island & hopped another barge back to Haiphong. Ah, and there was our piece o' shiat Russian wonder waiting for us. I seriously think the sight of the bike made me puke AGAIN. We boarded a train to Hanoi with the bike in tow & I spent the next few hours holding on for dear life over a squatty potty puking & pooping. What an amazing day. Definitely the single, worse, three hour ride of my life. Running for potty to potty attempting to find the best stock of TP. Thank you, Adam, for taking care of me.

Off the train, thank god, we biked back into Hanoi via rushhour traffic. Adam using his incredible "I promise I'm not a white tourist driving skills" & remaining two gears while I manned the super effective arm flung out the side turn signal. Conman, here's your bike back. It's a piece of crap & we really don't care if it is broken. I need a pizza & a good night's sleep.

The next day I'm out of Vietnam & heading to Bangkok to meet Jesse...

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Comments

[nikkid]

wait!! i want more!
Hey, you left us at Feb 1st! it's the 5th.. whatthe flip have you been doing lately? I was enjoying your stories!! What happens to Adam when you meet us with Jesse? Did he go too?

[Worthy]

Beats LB
Wow Linds, Those waters and sights sure beat the kayaking in LB! We're so excited to be hearing about your journey. It looks absolutely amazing! w (xo)