Hanoi to home

I took a 5 hour bus/boat/bus/bus combination to finally get back to Hanoi. I stayed again at Manh Dung. The staff is really accommodating here and give me a break on room prices because I have stayed here before. I spent my last day in Hanoi shopping and walking around. I bought some last minute souvenirs and met some friendly locals. I met so many friendly Vietnamese that were so happy to meet me. They really hope to see me again and want me to come back to Vietnam. I think I will. I have a China/northern Thailand trip planned and I might just add a visit back to Vietnam in there!

Going back home was smooth and thankfully uneventful. All my flights seemed shorter the way back. I was sad and happy to be back home. Sad to leave the warmer weather and so many friendly people and cool places to see. Happy to see my friends, family, cat and plants again though and to start practicing with my band again. It had been another memorable and unique trip.

Cat Ba island motorbike tour

I had one last fully day on Cat Ba before I had to go to Hanoi to get my flight home. I was thinking of doing a jungle trek but with no one to join me, it was going to cost $25. I decided to have an easy last day and hired a motorbike for myself for just $3. After leaving Cat Ba town, the roads were in good shape and empty. I stopped at Hospital cave, 10km from town. This cave was used as a secret and bomb proof hospital during the war. The entrance was sealed with concrete with a small door in it. This opened into a long concrete corridor lined with 17 empty concrete rooms. It was a interesting place built between 1963 and 1965 and in use until 1975.

Further down the road was Cat Ba National park. I stopped here to do a small hike to the top of a small peak with a lookout tower on it. There were great views of the rugged and jungle clad island from the top. Even though it wasn't sunny or super hot, it was really humid and I was drenched in sweat climbing up to the tower.

From the park I took the main road of the island all the way to the other side. There was a pier here and I expected a small village but there was nothing, just one small shop. I followed the main road back to the national park and then took a right turn for a different way back to town. The road followed the coast most of the way and had some striking scenery. I had spent all day out cruising the island on my scooter and relaxed for a while when I got back. I met a group of Vietnamese students on a school trip and chatted with them for the evening. They were very keen to speak to me and practice their english. It was a fun day and night and a good ending to my trip before I had to go back to busy and hectic Hanoi.

Lan Ha Bay

Halong bay and it's extension, Lan Ha bay are extraordinary and magical places. The emerald sea here is punctuated with over 3000 limestone islands peppered with beaches, caves and hidden lagoons. Halong bay is the main attraction of northeast Vietnam and there are over 500 tourist boats. I wanted to avoid these crowded touristy places but still see the bay, that is why I came to Cat Ba. I joined an organized tour that would take in the less visited Lan Ha bay and the chance to kayak around the islands. The tour left in a minivan at 9am for a pier 10 minutes away. There were 16 people on the tour, mostly young backpackers like myself. Unfortunately at this time of year, the weather is a bit cooler and foggy. This can mystical quality to the place but I wanted the blue skies that I had seen in the photos. The sky never did clear but I was still happy I took the tour. After getting out into the bay, the boat anchored and we were free to kayak around the area. This was my first time in a kayak. These were big and stable 2 person kayaks. A Danish girl sat and I shared a kayak.

After some more touring and a varied and delicious lunch, the group split up. Most of the people were here to rock climb. There were only 5 of us left on the boat after lunch. We leisurely cruised around more of the islands and then stopped again. I shared another kayak to visit and small cave with lots of bats in it. We cruised slowly back to where we had lunch to pick up the climbers. There are many floating fish farms in the bay and we stopped at one of these on the way. This was really interesting. There were thousands of fish in some of the pens. We picked up the climbers and arrived back in Cat Ba around 6pm.

Cat Ba island

The next morning I took a speedboat for the 1.5 hour trip to Cat Ba island. From the pier I walked to Cat Ba Paradise hotel. I had a great room with hot shower, TV and a big balcony 3 floors up overlooking the bay. Cat Ba is a small town that only extends a few streets behind a skyline of hotels before the mountains begin. The hotels are pretty unsightly but the town has a good feel about it with no traffic and many places to eat and stay. I liked it here. I just hung out for my first day. I walked around checking out some of the small beaches. I joined a boat/kayak tour of the bay for the following day run by Slo Pony Adventures.

Cuc Phoung National Park Part III

There was an 8km loop trail near the cave of prehistoric man that I skipped on my ride up to Bong. I didn't want to miss this trail, which had a huge tree 3km into the trail, so today I rode to the trailhead. I rode slowly along the road hoping to see something on my way. I stopped when I saw some black shapes in the trees. I thought it was monkeys but it turned out to be 2 black giant squirrels. I have seen giant squirrels before but never the black one. These squirrels are true giants too. They are 1m from head to tail and weigh up to 1.5kg. They fled quickly into the forest though before I could get a photo.

I brought my bike a little bit into the forest and locked it to a tree. The trail began at km 11 between the 20km road connecting Bong and the visitor centre. This trail was tight and not very well maintained or used often. It wasn't for the average person but with my previous experiences of following hard to see trails, I didn't have a problem most of the time. Only when the trail climbed over very rocky sections was it more difficult to follow. I followed the trail for almost an hour before it began to climb up a huge limestone hill. Cuc Phoung encompasses 2 limestone mountain ranges and the terrain in the park is very hilly and rugged with trees and plants growing right out of the limestone without any visible soil around. The trail became more difficult to follow up the hill and after 5 minutes I wasn't sure I was going the right way, so I turned back. I always make sure I can see where I came from because I don't want to get lost out here.

Just before the trail climbed uphill, it branched off to the right, where I didn't notice before. I took this way and it led to the massive tree after one minute. This was a truly impressive giant with no fencing around it like some of the others. As I sat in the shade of this giant, a German couple and their guide arrived. They would be taking the same trail up the hill which I couldn't follow. They didn't mind if I followed behind them and I did. To my credit, I was following the right way until I turned around. The trail became increasingly difficult to see and follow though as we climbed higher. I could say this is one trail were a guide would be very helpful. After we came down the hill on the other side the trail followed level ground and was easier to see. The Germans sat down for lunch and I continued on alone.

I heard some sounds of crunching leaves and saw an animal hide in a limestone crevice just as I looked up to investigate. I hid behind a tree and listened more. There were still more animals out there. I finally spotted them. There were 4 crab eating mongooses. They were busy foraging on the ground to really notice me as I crept closer. I got a few photos. One by one though, they all noticed me and eventually ran away, but I didn't care at that point. I had seen them well and got photos. This was a new species for me and it was really special to see 4 of them together. I came out of the trail onto the road at km 6. My bike was parked at km 11. The day had turned into the nicest one yet. The sun was actually shining. It was so nice I just wanted to walk back to my bike. I got a few people stopping offering me rides but I refused. They kind of gave me a strange look because I was so far from anywhere. They didn't know I had a bike up the road.

I did another night walk but saw nothing. This park seems like it would take a while to unlock its animal secrets. I was satisfied with my time here though. A local guide told me I would see nothing at all so I was happy that I saw the black giant squirrels and the crab eating mongooses.

After 5 nights camping in the park, I was ready to go to my next destination. I had less than a week left now before I returned home and there was still one place I really wanted to see. That was the limestone peaks of Halong Bay,Cat Ba and the surrounding areas but I still had to get out of Cuc Phoung. I decided not to look for a vehicle to take back my large pack. I secured my small pack to it and rode the 20km back to the visitors centre. It was heavy and akward. I had to walk up some of the bigger hills but I arrived back at the visitors centre in just 55 minutes. I took a motorcycle taxi from here to Nho Quan. Then I took a bus from here to Haiphong about 4 hours away. I still had another boat ride to get to Cat Ba island but I had enough travelling for one day. I got a nice hotel and went out to eat. Haiphong has a strong cafe culture and many decent and cheap places to eat on the street. I had a cheap and delicious meal of rice, shrimp, meatballs and one of the coldest beers I've ever had. The weather had turned damp and cool again.

Cuc Phoung National Park Part II

When I woke up this morning it was still cold. I didn't want to get out of my tent! I slept in till 9 and went for breakfast. The intense moisture had gone and a brisk wind in the night dried out nearly everything. I decided to visit an ancient tree, 3km from Bong B. The trail was meant for many visitors and was really flat and paved for most of it. I passed an elderly group of birders on the way in but saw no one else when I was on the trail. The tree was really impressive, one of the biggest of the 5 big trees in the park. The trail continued past the big tree for another 22km to a village on the outskirts of the park. This is the trail taken on overnight jungle trekking trips. I had asked about these but they were a bit too expensive for me. I wanted to have a really cheap stay at the park. That meant no hiring guides or overnight treks. With just the cost of camping and food, I would only be spending $10 or less a day.

Back in the forest I thought I would just check out more the trail and walked for almost 2 hours past the big tree. I arrived back in camp about 5 hours later. I didn't see any animals or hear any signs of animals but I was still really happy to be back in the forest again. The weather stayed overcast and cool all day. After dinner I wanted to go on a nightwalk but it was just too cold. I just wanted to be in my tent listening to music or watching movies on my ipod. I borrowed an extra blanket from reception and was toasty warm in my tent now. I knew I was staying for another few days and whether it was cold or not, I knew I had to get out for a nightwalk. Many of the mammals I want to see are nocturnal and getting out there in the dark in the only way I 'm going to see them.

The next day the weather was a little bit warmer but still overcast. I hiked a trail to another big tree that was popular with tour groups. I passed a school group with 60 students. This tree was called the thousand year old tree and consisted of 2 large trees joined at the base. I'm not sure how they determined it was a thousand years old. I didn't think I would see any animals along this trail. It was just too busy too much of the time but as I hiked it I kept hearing sounds. I finally learned that it was birds searching through dry leaves looking for food. It kept messing me up, thinking it was a different animal. After I passed the school group, I didn't see anyone else on the trail.

The night was warmer than the previous so I decided to try a night hike. I went out for an hour on a trail near Bong B but saw and heard nothing. The forest was dead quiet. I've never heard a rainforest this quiet before. I think the cold nights are causing many animals and insects to be less active than usual.

Cuc Phoung National Park

The bus took me as far as Nho Quan town. From there I had to hire a motorcycle for the last 13km to the park. I arrived at the park entrance and set up my tent. It was a busy place with busloads of Vietnamese visiting the park. This is because it was sunday and I had read that the park is really busy on weekends. I wanted to come on sunday so I would be here monday morning and spend most of the week here. The weather was overcast and not too warm at all. I spent the day around the visitors centre. I visited the Endangered Primate Rescue centre. This much needed centre houses primates rescued from the illegal animal trade and breeds them for future release back into the wild. They had most of the primates that I wanted to see in the wild here but knew that it would be very difficult to see them. I also went to a botanical garden but it was more like an arboretum with lots of labelled trees and no flowers or shrubs.

That night it began to mist heavily. When I woke up the next morning, everything was wet and it was still misting. My plan was to go Bong, 20km deeper into the park by road, where I could camp and be closer to the trails and further away from everything else. I stuck with my plan and rented a mountain bike to ride to Bong and keep for the time I was there. I left most of my unneeded luggage at the visitors centre. I was able to send my large park which was still heavy with my camping equipment, up with a tour bus and just rode with my day pack.

My first stop on the way to Bong was at the Cave of Prehistoric Man. They had found bones, tools and burial mounds in this cave that were over 7500 years old. All the artefacts had been removed though but it was still an interesting cave to explore. I love big trees and there were 5 big trees scattered throughout the park and I wanted to see all of them. I stopped at 2 on my way to Bong. They were big and impressive. Unfortunately due to the large numbers of non-nature respecting Vietnamese ( there was always litter along the trails too and I'm sure it didn't come from Western visitors), there was a concrete chain with poles to deter climbing and carving on the tree. It was easy enough to climb over but didn't look so natural in my photos!

I finally made it to Bong and got my pack from the large van. The roads were wet and I was being careful all day on the mountain but I had a small accident at Bong. I was coming down the road, not too fast either, and I had to turn right onto another road. I put on the brakes and I started skidding. I was holding myself up with one leg and hopping with the bike waiting for the skid to pick up some friction and finally stop, but it didn't. It looked like I was going to skid the whole width of the road, after skidding about 2m, I couldn't stand any longer and went down on my elbow and hand. It didn't hurt much and I was back up quick, but it did look like 2 nasty cuts. I couldn't believe I was fine all day and then crash at my destination!

It was still misty and wet but I set up my tent anyway on a big circular green. There are actually 2 sections of Bong, 1km apart. The furthest away,Bong B was just some accommodation (where I was) and the closer, Bong A, had more accommodation, staff quarters, restaurant and a parking lot were most of the buses waited for their hiking passengers. Bong A was busy compared with Bong B. It got even colder at night. I was just borderline warm in my tent when I dropped to 12C overnight. I had hope that it would get warmer and drier so my tent and my things would dry out.

Tam Coc

Thip and I rented bicycles to ride the 4km to Tam Coc. We checked out of our hotel to stay in Van Lan village near Tam Coc to get an early start the next morning on the river. I left my large pack in Hanoi. It was nice just to travel with my daypack. We got lost a bit on the way but we eventually found our way to Van Lan. We found a decent enough hotel and checked in. We then rode to Mua cave, 5km away. The cave was small and nothing special but it was at the base of a limestone mountain with 500 steps to the top. We climbed to the top and were rewarded with panoramic views of the mountains surrounded by lush rice paddies. We stayed up here for hours. I wanted to stay up until the sun went down for the soft light of dusk on the mountains to get some great pictures. We rode back to Van Lan and had a quiet night. The village is small and there weren' many people around. A stark contrast to how busy and packed it is during the day.

Van Lan is the village at the starting point for lazy canoe trips down the Ngo Dong river through Tam Coc. The river can get quite busy during the day with local and foreign tourists. There can be some hassle and pressure to buy souvenirs, food, drinks, etc. along the river and at the turnaround point. We wanted to avoid this, that's why we slept in the village. We wanted an early start to avoid the crowds. Our canoe was the first boat out that morning at 7am. We were followed by a few canoes with local tourists. It was a brilliant morning with the sun just right for photos. Along the way the canoes passes right through 3 caves cut into the limestone mountains. It was really cool to be paddled into the darkness and then out the other side. We didn't experience hardly any hassle and it was an enjoyable ride. We found another boat trip not too far away and there was no one there. It was a third of the cost for Tam Coc but this time we were in a river cave the whole time. There were some tight and low spots and interesting formations. We both liked this a lot. It was like our own personal tour of the cave.

Thip only had a few days in Vietnam and the next day she would be flying back to Thailand, so we rode back to Ninh Binh and caught a bus to Hanoi. It was fun to get to spend some time with someone I knew, even if it was just a short time. Thip left the next morning and I was on a bus shortly after headed for Cuc Phoung national park.

Hanoi to Ninh Binh

I arrived in Hanoi in the afternoon and took a taxi to Thu Giang guesthouse. I had called there yesterday and booked a room to avoid any hassles of getting a hotel but when I got the hotel they told me they were full. They said they don't book rooms by phone because sometimes people don't show up. Well they didn't tell me this on the phone. They said they didn't tell me because they could help me find another room. I didn't need help to find a room, there were 3 hotels alone in the same alleyway, so I checked them out. I ended up staying Manh Dung guesthouse, just across the street, for $10. For Hanoi, that was a good price for a decent room that would have cost a few dollars cheaper somewhere else. The staff was super friendly and accommodating.

The next morning I took a taxi to the airport to meet Thip. We took another taxi to the bus station. Since she was only visiting for a few days, we didn't want to waste any time in Hanoi. We took a bus to Ninh Binh, 2 hours south. We came to Ninh Binh to visit Tam Coc, an small place packed with limestone mountains best visited by canoe and on a bike. We stayed one night in Ninh Binh.

Phong Nha Cave to Vinh to Hanoi

I arrive in Dong Hoi and get a really nice room at Nam Long Hotel. I came here to visit Phong Nha Cave. The next morning I hired a motorbike and driver to take me to the caves. The owner of the hotel tried to convince me to hire my own bike but it was only another dollar to have a driver. This way I don't have to worry about the drive or the way there. I can sit back and appreciate the scenery. Soon after we left the city there was very little traffic on the road and it was a smooth road. Karst mountains soon dominated the landscape. The sign for Phong Nha National park was in huge letters on the side of a mountain like the Hollywood sign. There was no missing this park!

The driver parked the bike and I went to pay for my ticket. I had to take a boat to the cave entrance, 5km upstream. It was a bit expensive so I waited around for some other people to share the cost. I only had to wait a few minutes before a German family arrived. We shared the boat to the cave.

Before going to Phong Nha cave, I visited Tien Son cave, up 330 steps in the mountainside above Phong Nha cave. This cave was used as a hospital and ammunition depot during the Vietnam war. It was a touristy cave with a cement pathway through it and lights. I still liked it though as it has some old and impressive formations. After that the German family and I took our boat into Phong Nha cave. Once inside the cave, the boatman killed the engine and paddled us into the depths of the cave. Phong Nha cave is an astonishing 55km long but only the first km is open to visitors. We stopped at a huge side branch of the cave where certain formations were lit up for the benefit of visitors. Then the boat dropped us off and we walked back to the entrance. I really enjoyed this cave. We took the boat back to the visitors centre and then took the moto back to Dong Hoi.

While I was in Dong Hoi, I got an email from Thip, my friend from Thailand I met in Laos in the beginning of January. She had some time off now and would be meeting me in Hanoi in 2 days for a short trip together. I had to make my way to Hanoi. I was no rush to get there before I had to, so the next day I took a train to Vinh, about 6 hours away.

I don't know why I haven't been taking the train more often. I guess I thought it would be very busy and full because of the Tet holiday but it wasn't. I really enjoy travelling by train. It's more comfortable than the bus and there's no hassle over the price. It might be a bit slower but I don't mind. The train went right through karst mountains, literrally! It was great scenery up to Vinh. I stayed in Vinh for one night. I didn't like it there much. It's not touristy at all and I found it a bit hard to find decent food but for only day it didn't matter too much. The next day I decided to take the train to Hanoi.

Vinh Moc Tunnels

I arrived in Dong Ha and found an ok room at Thuy Dien hotel for $6. It didn't take me long to find a motorcycle driver to take me to the tunnels, actually, he found me! I bargained him down to a reasonable price and after I ate lunch we were on our way. He took a backroad which followed along the coast. It took a little less than an hour to get there.

Almost 90% of the Vietnamese population wears a facemask, for various reasons. These include blocking their face from the sun, protection against air pollution and trying to keep their potential sick germs to themselves. I've seen this in some other countries but the Vietnamese certainly wear the most masks I've ever seen. They can be bought for about 25 cents and up. I bought one as a souvenir but thought I would wear it today on the moto ride to the tunnels. It actually felt good wearing it to protect from the wind in my face and the sun. I got some strange looks! I really felt Vietnamese now!

We arrive at the tunnels and there is hardly anyone around except for some vendors. My moto driver waits for me as I walk to the museum and tunnel entrance. The museum was small but has some good info and good pictures of the history of the tunnels. I entered the tunnels in one of the 12 entrances around the site. I'm no war or history buff by any means but I really wanted to see these tunnels. I guess I just like anything that resembles a cave, even if it's man made. I was not disappointed by the tunnels. There were some lights in the tunnels meant for visitors to follow them so they don't get lost. They gave me a flashlight when I bought my ticket. I stuck to the lit pathway but often took turns down unlit dark hallways just to see more of the tunnels. It was really spooky. I was in there all by myself. I couldn't hear anyone else. The tunnels were high enough so I could stand upright but most of the time I was slightly hunched over. The tunnels were in their original state and had not been enlarged like some of the tunnels around Ho Chi Minh city in the south.

There were 3 levels of tunnels, the deepest 23m underground! All along the hallways were little rooms carved into the side for families, child birthing, washing and meetings. They even showed movies in the tunnels and sang for entertainment. Some of these little rooms had bats in them, other had mannaquins showing what the room was used for. I must admit walking down the dimly lit halls and then coming unexpectedly across a plastic family startled me a few times!

Since this area was in the heart of the DMZ (demilitarized zone), the villages on the surface had the shit bombed out of it daily and that drove the villagers underground. People lived in these tunnels for 8 years! Everyday between 1965 -72 the sound of bombs and artillery was never silent. More than half a million tons of bombs were dropped on the 820 km sq. Vinh Linh area. There were 114 village tunnels with a total length of 40km. There were more than 60 babies born in the tunnels.

As I explored the halls I came across a bomb shelter sign pointing down a dark tunnel. I wanted to see the bomb shelter and carefully worked my way down the unlit slippery slope. I was doing fine until I got right near the bottom, I slipped and fell. I wasn't hurt but my arms were coated in a thick dark and heavy clay soil. As I got to the bottom I noticed the tunnel to the bomb shelter became very small and I would have had to crawl my way into it. I didn't want to do that so I climbed back up to the main hall. I found an exit that came out facing the ocean. There was no water around so I grabbed a few leaves to try and wipe off some of the dirt on my arms. I explored the tunnels for almost an hour. I really liked in there.

Just as I came out of the tunnels, a big group of tourists arrived. Perfect timing for me to leave! We took the same scenic route back to Dong Ha. I only came to Dong Ha to see the tunnels. There is nothing else of interest around. Though there are many war sites nearby, I was only interested in seeing the tunnels. The next day I took a bus to Dong Hoi, about one hour north of Dong Ha.

Hue to Dong Ha

I got a bus from the main road near Bach Ma national park to Hue, one hour away. Hue is the sister city to Hoi An. It was spared some bombing during the war and has lots of character and old buildings. It's much bigger than Hoi An though and I didn't like it as much. I was only here basically to get an extension on my visa. It would expire in a few days but I wasn't sure when I would have a few days to try and get it somewhere else. I arrived late thursday and was hoping I wouldn't have to wait the weekend to get it taken care of. I went to a travel agent and they said it could be done in one day. I went back late friday afternoon and it was all finished. I had another month in Vietnam, even though I only needed 2 more weeks. With that business finished, I left Hue saturday morning to go to Dong Ha. I would base myself in Dong Ha for the night while I visited the Vinh Moc tunnels from the war. Dong Ha was only about one hour from Hue.