Cat Ba, Ninh Binh and the Return to Hanoi

My time on Cat Ba island was spent with Tom and Carly, an Australian who Tom had met in Ninh Binh. On Monday we caught a bus to Cat Ba's National Park. Climbing to the highest peak in the park was quite a tough trek. Part of the way required us to clamber up some rocks. It was a great walk though, and the views from the top were spectacular. The top of the hill homed a rickety old watch tower. After catching a breather I began the climb up to join the others at the top. To my bewilderment I only just noticed in time that the very final step was missing! It would be extremely easy for someone in a weary to state to fall right through the gap! However, it was worth the large pace over the gap to reach the summit of the tower and experience the incredible 360 views.

After trekking down again we came across a cave. To our surprise the gate was shut, but after a recommendation from a traveller climbing round the gate, it was apparently not too difficult to get in. We entered the cave, but I didn't have a torch on me. However, by staying close behind Tom and his light, I managed to find our way through. Towards the end of the tunnel there was a dead end with a foul stench. Only when Tom shone the torch upwards did we see the hoards of bats clinging to the ceiling, and subsequently notice the dropping-drenched floors below.

Later that evening we all joined up for some food and drinks. Carly was insistent that we tried some Vietnamese Snake Wine, if only to 'tick it off the list' of things to do. Without knowing the precise details of what the wine contains, it gets it's name from the whole dead snake which sits in the container with the wine, presumably flavouring the liquid with it's pungent taste. Needless to say it did not taste good, but after a gulp I realised I could tick it off my list. Moments later I realised that in actual fact it had never been on my list in the first place!

Tuesday involved a scenic boat ride through Halong Bay. Halong Bay is thought of as a real gem of Vietnam; Thousands of limestone rocks stick out of the sea in quite a surreal fashion. The weather was good and the boat ride passed very peacefully.

Following the boat ride, Tom and Carly headed back to Hanoi to catch a flight each, but I had two more days until I was due to fly. Tom and Carly informed me that Ninh Binh was worth a visit, and I headed there. The main focus of this visit was to experience Trang An, although the very friendly nature of the locals was an unexpected bonus. Practically every kid on the street would greet me with a 'hello', despite seemingly knowing very few other English words to continue the conversation.

Trang An has only opened very recently to tourists, and is therefore not yet well known. It involves a boat ride through some fantastic scenery, and also through a number of caves. On Wednesday morning I found a travel partner for the day in the shape of Julia from Buffalo. With a very dodgy hand-drawn map and a couple of bicycles, we set out for the journey. Ninh Binh is a gorgeous place that isn't visited by most of Vietnam's tourists. This is a shame, but it ensured our journey was quite peaceful.

The boat ride through Trang An was very good. We were both grateful that Tom and Carly had informed me about it! The presence of so few tourists ensured a quiet ride, and furthermore, if our boatman's arms got tired of rowing, it was no problem - he simply rowed with his feet!

Overall, Ninh Binh was a very worthy stop off. I now find myself back in Hanoi, waiting for a plane to Bangkok. This may be quite surreal. It seems like a lifetime ago when I was walking through the streets of Khao San Road feeling alone. In actual fact it was less than three months ago that I found myself struggling to book a tour, tiring under the sun and wondering how I was going to get through an entire year. It was less than three months since I stayed out late with Brian and Paul from Wigan, still learning the ropes of independent travel. Tomorrow I return to the city having travelled alone to remote islands, traversed beautiful landscapes on motorbike, trekked in the hills just inches from sheer drops, and crossed busy Vietnam roads as an ocean of motorbikes parts around me.

I don't expect Bangkok to be very scary any more.