Kayaks, Han La Bay and I'll miss you, Vietnam

  Halong Bay. So called wonder of Vietnam, for foreigners and locals alike. Almost like Cancun, usually wrapped up in a package destination deal. Since we're not fans, we decided to explore on our own. We headed to the Luong Yen bus station and bought a combined bus-ferry ticket first to Haiphong, and then Cat Ba island (240,000 VND). Saved us the hassle of haggling with a shady boat captain for the additional cost of a dollar or two.

  Cat Ba is a typical getaway island, with hotel upon hotel by the so-called promenade. For the first time in Vietnam, we had problems locating a hotel that fit our price-to-standard ratio. We couldn't find good cheap food, either. A bit hindered by spotty weather, we finally hired a bike and drove around the island. We visited the Hospital Cave, where soldiers effectively hid during the war from American bombs. We bought sweet lychee fruit from a roadside sales lady, who was so happy with her final sale of the day that she forcefully handed me another fistful of fruit. We drove up the winding road to the mountain top Cannon Fort, with its spanning views of both sides of the island. And for the final trick, I drove half of the way back. Yes, I'm very proud of myself, as you can tell.

Hospital Cave

Views from Cannon Fort

Cat Ba harbor

  Research showed us that Halong Bay itself is polluted and cluttered with competing junk boats, which in our minds somewhat diminished the experience. So instead, we decided for a view from the ground level, so to speak. Specifically from a sea kayak. Probably the third time I had such a paddle in my very incapable hands. But you live once, and so we swam around Han La Bay, Halong's less crowded but just as pretty neighbor. Our guide led us to sandy beaches and tucked-away lagoons, where neither the wind nor the waves disturbed the quiet calm. And it was calming indeed, at least until we reached the southern parts of Halong Bay itself, which opened up to the actual sea.   Rough waves and strenuous paddling finally forced us back to the anchored boat, where we took turns jumping off from the top deck. For a final touch, the sun made an appearance and dried us off on the way back to the harbor.

Hidden lagoons

  Now, back to Hanoi and our last bun cha and Vietnamese coffee indulgences. We switch countries again, this time for Malaysia.