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Published: December 16th 2009
Biker chicks
It was hard to keep you eyes on the road with the scenery on Cat Ba island.Island life. Too laid back to bother writing a blog. And there was no internet access in the hotel. So we're a bit off the pace here.
Just over a week ago...we finally managed to catch a train in Vietnam. A comfortable 2 hour trip saw us in Hanoi. What a blessed relief to travel without the accompanying soundtrack of bus horn in A minor. Our hotel in Hanoi was great and slap bang in the middle of Hanoi's old town. Plenty of Parisiene (?) atmosphere and some great shops and cafes. Of course the ubiquitous noodle bars and old women selling random piles of salad greens outside your hotel door to remind you where you are.
Poor Milla was suffering from some sort of tummy bug with associated action at either end of her body. We decided to go and check out Ho Chi Minh who is lying in state, soviet style, in a huge mausoleum in the centre of Hanoi. Its a very earnest affair filing past the great man's waxy figure, with plenty of guards of honour in crisp white uniforms making sure the appropriate degree of respect is maintained at all times. For some reason
More mountains
Milla took this photo from the side of the road. We rode mtorbikes to the other side of Cat Ba Island and the scenery was spectacular the whole way. you have to form 2 lines side by side some 300-400 metres from the business end of proceedings. It was the one time when kids were not excepted from the rules and more than once our kids were gently prodded into line. The decorum for the tomb is explicit. No talking at all, no snickering, no hands in pockets etc etc. With three kids in tow we were asking for serious trouble. To top it all off, Milla's squiffy tummy was threatening to erupt at any moment so we entered the great man's tomb carrying a vomit bag. I didn't even want to contemplate what might happen to us if Milla sprayed diced carrots all over the sacred marble floor tiles.
The kids all adopted the appropriate solemn attitude inside and Jude even walked with his hands clasped behind his back to add to the respectful tone. Jude was ushered up a special kids ramp so he could get a better look at Uncle Ho. Milla's lunch stayed down and in fact the kids really enjoyed the whole experience.
Next day we made our way to Cat Ba island via a very complicated but well organised transport links.
Cliff top walk
Reuben on one of the clifftop walks that link two of the beautiful beaches near Cat Ba town. Taxi to the bus station, bus to Haiphong, mini bus to the port, boat to the island, bus to Cat Ba town.
Ha, the lovely manager of our hotel, met us at the bus stop and she and Milla held hands all the way to the hotel. It was certainly a sign of things to come as she and Milla became very close over the next week.
Cat Ba island is a beautiful, peaceful place after the traffic chaos of most Vietnamese towns. We hired motorbikes for the first 2 days and explored every road on the island, all four of them!
Julie took Milla while I had Jude in front and Reuben behind me on my bike. The roads were empty with spectacular scenery at every turn. We saw caves, mountains and remote beaches.
The kids were really comfortable on the bikes, to the point where Jude fell asleep on my bike on the way home one day. I had to ride the last 5 km one-handed as I propped him up with my 'spare' hand.
We decided to charter a whole boat for ourselves to see Halong Bay as it was only $180
Looks can be deceptive
When we first paddled into this cave I thought it went in about 5 metres. Milla insisted we keep going until the roof was almost touching our head. Eventually we saw some light in the distance and the cave led through to a lagoon inside the mountain. for 2 days and 1 night with all meals included.
It was a wonderful trip and the kids had a ball discovering the delights of swimming in water that has not recently drifted north from Antarctica. They spent 2 days kayaking, swimming, snorkelling, jumping off the boat and generally having fun in and on the water.
We paddled kayaks through caves into hidden lagoons, swan on coral beaches and ate delicious seafood at every meal. The scenery was amazing and apart from a couple of other boats we had it all to ourselves.
We were all very sad to say goodbye to Cat Ba island, particularly as it meant saying goodbye to Ha and the Bayview hotel. Milla and Jude had become de facto staff members with Ha leaving them in charge of reception while she went out to do some errands. They spent ages cleaning tables and sweeping the floor of the reception area. I was sure there would be tears when we left.
Milla has sworn to return to Cat Ba when she is 18. Ha said that was too long to wait..
Back to Hanoi for some cafe culture before we catch
Julie Reuben and Jude take to the water
On our first day on the boat we spent a few hours exploring the caves and coves by kayak. Julie and Reuben paddled. Jude was ballast. the night train to Sapa.
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louise Chaffer
non-member comment
oh...you guys!
wow....you are so cute!!1 Having such a wonderful trip....everyone is sooo big and grown up! really nice to see the photos, an hear all your funny stories too Love us