Blogs from Cat Ba Island, Hai Phong, Red River Delta, Vietnam, Asia - page 4

Vzhledem k tomu, ze uz nas trochu tlaci cas a ze cesta vlakem nebo autobusem z Hue do Hanoje trva strasne dlouho a je skoro stejne draha jako letenka, rozhodli jsme se preletet. Let trval asi jenom 45 min a my jsme se tak po dvou mesicich opet dostali do Hanoje. Z letiste jsme pak rovnou jeli na autobusove nadrazi, odkud jezdi kombinovany spoj {bus - lod - bus} na ostrov Cat Ba. Tento ostrov je jedna ze zakladen k prozkoumavani Halong Bay. Halong Bay je uzemi v Jihocinskem mori pobliz vieamskeho pobrezi se stovkami vapencovych skal trcicich z vody. Oblast je neuveritelne popularni i mezi vietnamskymi turisty, kteri ji behem letnich mesicu doslova zaplavuji. My jsme sem nastesti prijeli tesne po skonceni hlavni sezony a navic mimo vikend, takze Cat Ba je prijemne ospale mesto. ... read more

I woke up still feeling sick and had toast and apples for breakfast. As everyone else enjoyed eggs and oranges. We sailed around the bay until we got to another dock where 4 of us got off the boat that had booked the 3 day/2 night tour and the others stayed on the boat since they booked only 2 days/1 night. Pete, myself , Roxanne and Dycho, a couple from Holland, went with Tam to meet up with our van that would take across around Cat Ba Island today. Our hotel was on the other side of the island and we stopped half way at Cat Ba National Park. We had a hike this morning and I wasn’t sure how I would make it as I found out it was 2 hours long. I popped an ... read more

Tuesday 25 May Cat Ba Island, Halong Bay. Its 6.00 am, and the noises of Vietnam have already had me awake for 30 minutes. Crossing from China to Vietnam, nothing marks the differential as much as the noise at the start of the day. If Robin Williams made us understand how HOT, DAMN HOT it gets here, then noise, noise, noise is what a visit will confirm. Nothing makes this change more obvious than the omnipresent motorbike. Whereas the Chinese have moved in massive numbers to silent electric battery powered scooters, and golf cart buses, the clattering Vietnamese “Honda Dream” still rules south of the border. Daylight signifies time to rest the thick digit on horns and for hopeful motorbike-taxis to start shouting, looking for work. The trucks, vans and buses, with their cascading multi-toned horns, ... read more

Climbing was solid the day before, but the next day I got an offer I couldn't refuse: deep water free solo. No ropes, no protection, just bail into the ocean. Beth and I met an English couple who were solid climbers the night before, and the 4 of us booked an all-day trip. Honestly, the pictures speak for themselves, both of the bay and of the rocks. ... read more

I slept in the next morning as I wasn't on the tour's schedule anymore. The climbing trip leaving that day was a noon-to-fiver, so I had some time. The climb was guided which was nice because a lot of the people were newbies and I didn't have to worry about belaying. I wasn't really expecting to climb on this trip, so I needed to rent all the gear, but it worked out in the end. We bussed to "the valley" site, about 15 minutes, grabbed lunch and walked to the rocks. The walls were eroded limestone - tons of features and cool formations. Even the easy walls had some fun stuff to play with. Best part of the experience was getting asked to spot a lead climber until she reached the second bolt. After she led ... read more