Welcome to Cat Ba Island

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It's hard to describe Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Island with words, I think the pictures say more than I ever could. The beauty is immense and never ending, we really feel like we've stepped into a tropical paradise and we never want to leave.

We traveled from Hanoi by bus to Ha Long Bay where we transferred to a boat and began making our way through 1000's of limestone islands jutting out of the South China Sea. I think they might have filmed Jurassic Park here, it has that vibe and you can see what we mean from the pictures. Stunning. We were awestruck as our boat puttered its way through the maze of islands. Our guide stopped us half way through on an island that has massive caves inside and it was pretty fantastic. It gave us a taste of what was to come on Cat Ba Island.

Finally we reached our destination and it was well worth the wait. Cat Ba Island is home to just over 13,000 people and the majority of the island is a national park that is uninhabited save for monkeys, frogs, and other creepy crawlies. On our first day we rented bicycles and explored the island on our own. There was hardly anyone on the road which was really nice especially coming from the bustle of a big city like Hanoi. At dinner after talking to the restaurant owner we discovered that we've arrived just at the end of the peak season where hotel room rates are doubled and tripled and you have to book a room ahead if you want a place to stay. The peace and quiet is so relaxing, we couldn't have come at a better time.

Because the tourists are few and far between we've run into the same groups of people everywhere we go which has been a lot of fun. We've met people from France, Germany, Holland, Singapore, and England. Last night we all gathered around a bonfire on the beach and shared our stories and experiences, it was the most fun we've had since arriving.

Today we rented a kayak and rowed to Monkey Island, about an hour away from the harbor (it was quite a workout!) The heat of the day really got to us so as soon as we rowed up to shore we hopped out of the kayak and into the sea. Later we found shade and swayed in a hammock while watching the monkeys frolic together in the sand. They are NOT shy! They came right up to Joel and started pilfering through our backpack and when Joel tried to shoo them away it hissed and showed its teeth. Now anyone remembering Joel's raccoon incident will know that this scared him a good deal and a Vietnamese guide sunning on the beach got a good laugh at Joel's reaction.

Tomorrow we plan on renting another motorbike and making our way deep into the national forest. Hopefully we'll catch sight of a few more monkeys from a safe distance. There are so many other stories we'd like to share, but they'll have to wait for our return. Until next time 😊

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Photos

Caves
Vietnam is known for its many caves, this is just one. One cave on the mainland is so big it could fit a city block of 40 story buildings inside.

Entrance to the caves
See the tiny people?

Flooding on Cat Ba
Just before we arrived it had rained constantly for 3 days and nights. Many roads like this one were flooded. Some had ferries to take you across, we waded through this one.

Simply delicious dinner
Sauteed greens and steamed rice.

Monkey Island
The kayak that brought us to this amazing getaway.

Freshly steamed oysters
We dined on a floating restaurant in the harbor where you pick your dinner from the seafloor. They were even better than they look!

Comments

[mom]

waiting patiently
Every one is patiently waiting for your next update and photo\'s , you will have a lot to share and don\'t think you can skip or leave anything out, you have to tell every thing. be safe , and have fun