monkey island...

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Wow, we slept like babies (cute ones!) last night, our first time ever sleeping on a boat.

We quickly were able to tell that this trip was worth it, but even more so when we opened our cabin's door to an amazing harbor view. We got excited to see the sun was going to make more of an appearance today as well, as it was a bit foggy yesterday.

Breakfast was a nice assortment of breads, fruits, and juices.

We had about 45 minutes of travel time, so Staci and I headed to the top to sit down and relax. We also had to make sure we were all packed, as we were not staying on the boat tonight.

Our boat docked and we all got in a shuttle bus to take us to another place where we got on a smaller boat that took us to a cave.

The ride on the water was 20 minutes, and beautiful the whole way.

The cave was secluded, and not as touristy as the one yesterday. Inside, were several shrines, and even a tomb. Our guide continued to be knowledgeable and ever so kind, but for this cave, we had another person help show us the way inside the dark cave. He even played music for us by banging on the rocky walls…It was quite good too!

After reversing our tracks, we got back in the shuttle bus which took us to our new place for the night, a hotel on Cat Ba Island. We also had lunch at a wonderful place down the street, The Green Mango Restaurant. After eating, we had 45 minutes to settle in at the hotel before our next event.

We got on the bus which took us to another boat that took us to Monkey Island. Right before reaching the island, our boat anchored, and in groups, we got in a dingily and were taken the rest of the way. The dingy was not the most sturdy, so it was quite the adventure climbing into it from the bigger boat. I ended up straddling a small piece of wood (the seat?) and hoping not to make a classic clumsy-Martin move. We all made it safely across, thankfully.

We had an hour to relax on the beach. Some people decided to hike the mountain, but Staci and I chose to take in the views where we were, and walked into the water. There were about 7 monkeys today on Monkey Island that we spotted, and all relatively close. We were told to keep our distance, as they can get aggressive if bothered. Some of the monkeys were babies, so it was cute to watch their parents take care of them.

The beach was stunning, full of coral and sand. The water was warmer than yesterday as well, so we let our legs get wet longer. 

After getting back to the hotel, we all had a free evening to do what we wanted, paying for our own dinner. All other meals were included, even at the restaurants.

We decided to try a place down the street, Bamboo Restaurant. We read about it in our Lonely Planet guide, but were left unsatisfied. The food was okay tasting, but not enough, so we headed back to The Green Mango for more food, that tasted better too.

We enjoyed nachos and some beer. Go figure, right?

We walked around a little bit before heading back to our hotel to sleep the night away.

Another perfect day.

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Comments

[ElyseandPete]

Lonely Planet
It sounds like the LP hasn't been that on with your travels for food. But you have found many other amazing places.