Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Island Jan 25

This view was from my window when I woke up today.

This morning they transferred those of us who booked the three days and two nights trip to Cat Ba Island. Our boat, with the one-night people and the two-night people from a previous trip, went back. We spent the day on the island and then some stayed at the island hotel and I went back to a different boat.

This is a map of the island. We shuttled over to a landing at the top of the island near the red road. They bused us down to the other end where we picked up some bikes and road 10km through a national park.




We toured a cave in the park which had been used as a hospital during the war. There was no money to build one anyway so they adapted the cave by building concrete walls and floors. There were three floors.

Everywhere I go there is some piece of war history.

We rode through a small village and stopped by a school. The children had just been let go for lunch and we got to meet some.

Here they are playing a marble game.

Later we had lunch at a hotel. This view of a fishing harbour is from the balcony.

Down by the harbour.

The fishing scene.

We depart from this harbour to go to Monkey Island.

Passing through Lan Ha Bay where a portable fishing village is situated right now.

Leaving the bay.

We had a nice shuttle boat for this trip although there are no seats on the upper level. Everyone has a seat down below if they wished.

The lower level.

Looking toward the beach on Monkey Island.

I walked down this skinny little plank too with only a hand-held pole for a rail.

The monkeys came to us right away and started grabbing pant legs. Our guide chased them away and told us to keep a distance from them. Apparently they like to steal things from tourists.

The beach would have been good for a swim if it had been warmer.

I'm still all bundled up.

Another view of the beach.

These people are from another tour. The one in black is feeding the male monkey sunflower seeds by hand. Our guide tried to warn him but the guide he was with let him do it. Later some members of out group found him with monkey bites on the top of his head. The monkey went after the rest of the seeds when he stopped feeding it.

After our boat tour we had time to walk around the town of Cat Ba for an hour.

Snake wine is sold everywhere. I thought this was taking snake wine to the extreme but later we saw one with birds in it. This one is interesting because of the sea horses.

They say they drink some every day for health but I think these big ones must be for show.

I thought this was a dead tree they were decorating in the hotel lobby but it is a live cherry tree which is supposed to blossom in the first week of February for the New Years celebration.

At 5:30 they bused me back to the north port and I got the shuttle to the boat.

There they had wine and fruit prepared for us and another nice dinner. Tomorrow this boat will go back to Ha Long city.