Ha Long Happiness

Yeah!!!  Ha Long Bay here I come….is what I said when I entered Vietnam.  Then I spoke with backpacker after backpacker, after backpacker who left Ha Long Bay disappointed.  What, you’re telling me that Ha Long Bay hasn’t been spared the aggressive touts, piles of garbage, pollution and the over abundance of package tour operators?  Well shit, I guess my vision of basking in the sun, enjoying some kayaking, camping, cold beer and peace and quiet would inevitably be ruined by the constant traffic of tour boats offering yet another cliché tour- Damn.
Ha, then I found out about Cat Ba Island, and I was sold!  Maybe I would get my kayaking after all and maybe I won’t have to take my life into my own hands because of dodgy equipment and run-down leaky boats.  With our spirits uplifted, we made our way to Cat Ba City, located on Cat Ba Island, in the middle of Ha Long Bay, a lengthy boat trip away from the over saturated Ha Long City!!  Once we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised- where were all the tourists?  Well, they were obviously on the ocean front strip but if you ventured up further you were greeted by a beautiful, authentic Vietnamese city.  Loved it!!

Check out the view from our hotel room.  A view like this anywhere in Canada would cost a premium, but here, $9!  Yeah!! :) 

So, our hotel was a little bizarre and special.  The building was right against a limestone ridge, the back wall being made up entirely of stone. Very cool, but they didn’t fair so well when it rained for 7 days straight prior to our arrival. We got the “only dry room” when we checked in!

One of the draws of Cat Ba Island was not only Ha Long Bay but all the spelunking that you could do around the island (thanks Chris Essay for reintroducing that word to my vocabulary!).  Note to self, wear shoes, not flip flops and remember a flashlight.

BATS!!!! I LOVE BATS!!!!

How cute!  Look at their adorable little feet! :D

One of the three beautiful beaches on the island. You’d float on your back with your eyes closed, and open them to the site of the limestone cliffs framing the blue sky!

A view from Hospital Cave. This small village was on the cusp of the National Park (I’ve never seen so much heavy machinery in a National Park, but oh well), and had a lot of agriculture lending to some pretty amazing scenery.

Where are all the tourists??  No one, just us, just how we like it! Imagine yourself kayaking around this scene… Not bad eh?

One of the floating villages we encountered while on our kayak tour through the bay.  Notice the lack of garbage.  Splendid!

A shot of the cliffs I had been waiting for months, if not years to see.  I am happy to report, they didn’t disappoint, they were just as beautiful as I imagined they would be.

Don’t fall!!!  (Does Dan look like he’s got a care in the world?)

Hey- a special shout out to the first traveling married couple we have met on our journey.  Happy Honeymoon Ross and Christina!

Our climbing and kayaking crew out for dinner and drinks after a successful day in the bay.  Another great bunch of people we’ve had the pleasure of meeting in Vietnam.