Day 43 - 05th August
Another early morning, as I rose at 5am to see the sunrise. The mist over the bay made it impossible though so I ended up grabbing an hour or so sleep.
I was awoken to Ken banging on our door, telling us it was breakfast time. It was 7am! My iPad still wasn't working!
And breakfast was a combo of underdone pancakes and watermelon. It filled the gap, ready for Kayaking. The rain was pounding the water and Jordy and I commandeered a kayak and proceeded to paddle our arses off until half an hour had passed and we had circled a huge Rock Island, seeing a mountain goat, two delicate Irish girls from the night before and a floating mini village.
Ken ushered us back on the boat to check out and before I knew it, we were pushing through high waves towards Monkey Island, laying flat on the deck to feel the rise and drop of the mammoth waves. The scenery around us was amazing and I couldn't help just gawping at the beauty of each individual island, with its own personality. Some had openings which exposed swimming caves inside. What I would have paid to go in there (oh, hold on, I did pay for that and it wasn't delivered!)
Monkey Island honestly filled me with a little apprehension. I'd heard stories from other places where Monkeys' had attacked humans, stolen their food and cameras. I wasn't wrong. Within minutes, a French girl had lost a pack of Oreos and by the end the Australian girl, Renee had lost her bag of crisps. Jordy, Sèbastien and I hiked up towards the peak, but Jordy and I retired early because of the Mosquitos! Damn things. My pack of Oreos was also infested with ants so I just swept them off and ate them through gritted teeth.
Finally we were off the island, and now heading another hour or so towards Cat Ba Island (namely Woman Island, after the women who stayed behind whilst the men went off to war.) We'd met an English couple on our main boat, Sam and Natasha from Norfolk. Good guys and fun to have around, as the three of us made our jokes and amused ourselves.
Once on Cat Ba, we met Ken 2. This guy was nice, taking us to Cat Ba Palace Hotel to check in for the night and grab some lunch. The waitress was good fun to have banter with and we enjoyed the food like we hadn't eaten in days.
I always love a good hike and when we set off towards the center of Cat Ba, I was optimistic. When we arrived, we walked a winding trail upwards towards the summit until we were a few hundred metres away. Our guide, Ken 2, then said he had to leave us because he had been unwell and needed to go to the toilet. Poor chap.
Between me and a French guy, we led the way upwards to the two peak stops and took in the surroundings. Although the pictures look fantastic, they do not really produce the sheer scale and real beauty we were exposed to. It's a memory I will never forget.
On the way back down, I led a small group, predominantly English folk, down the 'hard' trail until we reached the bottom, before we headed back to the hostel to freshen up and have dinner. Again, it was another great meal and I enjoyed the company at our table. We were interrupted by a local barman, who told us to visit him at Rose Bar for drinks that night.
So as soon as dinner was down, so we're we. Straight down to Rose Bar. Jordy and I met Alice and Chloe from Belfast. They wanted to relax but the Dutchman and I refused to let them enjoy that simple pleasure. Instead, we racked up a game of beer pong. I think it was beginner's luck that cost me victories or possibly Jordy's wonky aim. As soon as Sèbastien arrived, we cleared house.
The pool game was even more excruciating, as Jordy played by his own rules and not those of the official American Pool game. He thought I was trying to cheat him, telling him you could take two shots for potting the white. A mixed pair game threw up some interesting shots but it was a great night where beer flowed freely.
Ah, this is a great way to live.
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