Cat Ba Island (Jan. 3, 2015)

Wow, what a day. I’m in Cat Ba now, sitting on the balcony watching the sun set over the water in front of me. It’s absolutely gorgeous and I am so glad I came without a tour. I ended up having a girl from the hostel join me, though we kind of do our own thing but are sharing a twin room which works out great. I had initially booked a dorm room, but when we arrived, the room was on the 6th floor, walk up, and had no lockers for your stuff. I never feel as safe when there’s no locker, so I remembered that the Twin rooms were the same price per person, and now I had a person to share with. So Amy, from Reno, Nevada, and I are sharing the room. It’s called the Downtown Cat Ba Hostel and is totally decent. This is my view while writing to you.

Sunset from balcony in Cat Ba

Lit up floating restaurants in the bay

The trip to get here is a bit of a story…….lol. When isn’t it? The Hanoi Hostel said they would be happy to book me (and then I guess, Amy) the bus and ferry over to Cat Ba. Ok, sounded great, and they would pick us up at the hostel and ensure that we were dropped in downtown Cat Ba which isn’t very big. I booked the ticket, and only got a receipt that said I paid, but no actual paper, so I asked about this. Apparently it was the way things are done, and the guy showed up on cue, this morning to pick Amy and me up from the hostel to go to Cat Ba. We took a cab to the bus station and there we met another guy who handed us a business card and said not to lose it because it was proof of our payment. As you can see below, it said Mr. Pineapple on it, which made me feel a little nervous, but what can you do at this point? I was hoping that things would unravel as they should, and everything would be fine.

My ticket

We got onto the bus, with no other tourists, and only Vietnamese people, and took off toward Hai Phong which is in Halong Bay, where I knew you caught the ferry over to Cat Ba. The scenery on the bus was pretty cool as it went through areas of Hanoi, on the way out, that I had never seen before. Some little towns and villages as well, so that was interesting. Then, the bus stopped and someone yelled, “Cat Ba” and hurried us off the bus. I was SO hoping that there was going to be another bus or van to take us to the pier, as I knew we weren’t there yet, but had no idea where we were. Anyway, there was a mini bus that was over full of Vietnamese people, and us, to the point where some people had to sit on those mini kiddie stools in the aisle of the bus. Thankfully that wasn’t me….lol.

We got to a pier, though I knew it wasn’t the main pier where the Passenger and Vehicle Ferry departed from because it was more like a plank going onto an older ‘speed boat’ that looked like it needed some serious love, but was safe. So, we all got onto the boat and went to Cat Ba. We docked at another sketchy looking pier that I had read about. It said that sometimes you are taken to another location, not the main pier, that is about 40 Kms away from the city centre and then you are forced to hire a taxi that runs you a lot of money. I was hoping this wasn’t the case and felt fairly sure because the hostel booked it and assured me that the ticket included transfers from the buses to the ferry and then to the city center. If it was otherwise, I think they would get too much bad press, but I have to say I was skeptical. Well, there was a bus waiting for Amy, me and all the rest of the Vietnamese people, at this board onto the boat pier. Thank Goodness.

View out the window of the 'speed boat'

Arriving at Cat Ba sketchy pier

The pier

The speed boat at the pier

The bus ride was about half an hour or so, but through absolutely beautiful country side. I was very happy to see the landscape for it was quiet, rural and lovely. We reached the main pier, which is really the city centre, and we got off the bus. I started to walk to where the hostel was located, which is about 100 meters from the real pier. We found it and things were great. All day I was just thankful that I hadn’t fallen for a scam, but really didn’t think so, as the reactions would have been too negative for the hostel. It wasn’t what I would call the most direct and best way, but we got here and didn’t get left anywhere on our own. How weird, but interesting!

The bus from the pier to the city centre

Along the way to the city

From the balcony of the hostel

Cat Ba

Cat Ba waterfront 

From the 6th floor balcony

6th floor balcony

Once to Cat Ba, I walked around a little, and Amy went to the water to do yoga. She’s an interesting girl and really seems to want to do her own thing, yet follow along at the same time. I think that’s a perfect mix and she’s cool.

Hostel room shared with Amy

Huge sea creature on display for hot pot

Other fish on display for hot pot
restaurant......so fresh!

Full view of hot pot restaurant

When I finished blogging, I went downstairs to look for some supper. Amy was down there and asked if that's what I was doing. She said she was hungry and hadn't eaten yet, so we walked to that hot pot place and had supper. Wow, what a treat. Oysters to start, and a hot pot full of delicious shell fish and a huge shrimp or scampi or something. I'm not sure, but everything was so incredibly fresh and tasty. Then we came back to our room to chill out and get comfy. It's chilly at night here, but I think it will be nice during the day.

Such a great day, with lots of questions, but a safe outcome. Tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful so I am going to the beach to draw and maybe swim.

Plate of raw seafood for hot pot

Broth to put seafood into

Appetizers of raw oysters....mmm

Hot pot cooking up a storm, with veggies

Museums Galore (Jan. 2, 2015)

Well, I did make it to the Women’s Museum today, plus two others that are not far from it. The Women’s Museum was really cool. It was 5 floors divided up into categories that focused on how Vietnamese women contributed to, participated in, or practised a variety of living skills and events. There was traditional family and marriage practises shown, including the clothing of a variety of different Vietnamese ethnicities from around the country. There was a floor describing how women were involved in and comprised 40% of the warfare guerrilla groups that fought against a number of insurgents. Women’s work over the years was detailed, the different types of sewing and cloth making styles, food preparation, home chores, field work, and child rearing were also detailed. My favourite floor was how women from the various areas practised and led their religious events. There were so many cool costumes and dances for the various rituals that only women can perform and they were fantastic.

Oh, there was also a very nice Art Show on the top floor, that had nothing to do with the museum, but was very interesting. There were no pics allowed though, so the only one I got was at the top of the stairs, where an installation was, before I was told not to take photos. 

Vietnamese Women's Museum

Floor to ceiling statue at entrance

Art installation before photos were banned

Then I went to Hoa Lo Prison, which the US GI’s nicknamed The Hanoi Hilton. It is an old prison, built by the French Colonialists in the late 1800’s. At that time, anyone that rose up against the French takeover were considered rebels and were taken there to be held prisoner, and often beheaded with the guillotine they still have on display. The place is pretty gruesome, but has been painted up to look nice, with creepy background music that enhances the horrible feel of the place. It was then used by the Vietnamese during the US/Vietnam War, to hold US pilots who were shot out of the air during the war. The propaganda that is written on the walls and information plaques is super anti-American and I could imagine that if you were from the US, going there to visit, you’d feel either angry, or embarrassed depending on what kind of person you were. It was quite negative and very aggressive towards the bad choices and inhumane and ruthless efforts against the Vietnamese, that the Americans engaged in.

Plaque out front

Entrance to Hoa Lo Prison

Textured relief piece inside prison

Large relief piece in old exercise area

The third place I went was the Temple of Literature that was built in the late 700’s. It was the place where students took an entrance exam to see if they were eligible to attend this temple, then if they were, the King would come to respond to and ask the students the exam questions, himself. They were then categorized and streamed into different professions, such as medicine, law, religion, etc. The books they studied were primarily Confucius books and many other ancient asian religious materials. The temple was a beautiful place, surrounded by walls, in the middle of Hanoi, amongst the whirring traffic and honking horns. It was a little city block haven of green and quiet in the midst of chaos. Really cool, though.

Temple of Literature entrance

Inside the temple

Model shoot while I was there

Selfie at the gardens

Real flowers to make this

Tree in a trough but lovely

Altar inside the temple

I stopped for lunch at a street food restaurant and had a great big bowl of seafood Pho. There was shrimp, fish, squid and some other marine organisms that I couldn’t identify. It was really good with a fantastic broth that tasted just perfect. 

My delicious seafood Pho for lunch

Then I came back to the hostel to take a rest and download my photos. Right after I was finished doing that, Sandra, the Swedish girl, came back from her trip to Halong Bay, so we went out for Egg Coffee, walked around for a while, then found this cute little outdoor restaurant that had hot plates, was really busy and looked amazing. We only had to look at each other to decide we would sit down and have supper there. We sat outside, in the little tiny kiddie chairs that are so popular here. I am extremely happy that Cleo was put in before this trip because I don't think I could have gotten up and down onto all these tiny street stools if she wasn't with me now. Yeah, Cleo. The meal was delicious and they bring you a plate full of chicken, pork and beef, with some veggies as well. There were green onions, white onions, okra, green beans, some tomatoes and zucchini. Then you put whatever amount you want, onto the hot plate covered in tin foil with oil on it, to let it cook. What a great meal. Oh yeah, you also get a little bowl of spice that you dip the meat and veggies into. This is hot chill sauce, sugar, salt, and some other stuff, and then you squeeze these mini limes onto it, stir it up and voila.

Sandra and me cooking our food

The raw stuff on the left, cooking
on the right 

                         

Two nice Vietnamese guys who helped us figure out how to eat this new and interesting meal

Tomorow I will take a bus to the island of Cat Ba, off of Halong Bay. It is about a 4 hours trip including the bus and the ferry over there. It is supposed to be beautiful and quiet, so I will leave my suitcase in the luggage lock up at this hostel, and just take my backpack. I won't need much and that way it's easy to just go, without having to worry about the suitcase. When I return, I have booked an Open Bus ticket that allows me to stop, get off, and get back on in various places along the way down south. I booked it from this hostel, and will be picked up here the evening I return from Cat Ba. It's a sleeper bus that will take me to Phang Nka-Ke Bang National Park for the first stop, which is quite a few hours away. That park has incredible natural caves that you can see, so I would like to do that. I will stay there for at least one night, maybe two, depending on how much there is to do. That works out well, as the hostel people are very happy to allow me to leave the suitcase in the storage locker as a result of staying here, and booking the Open Bus ticket through them.

More tomorrow. Keep smiling.

New Year's Eve and Day (Dec. 31, 2014; Jan. 1, 2015)

Today I had a really great day. I went to Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum with four other girls from my hostel. Actually, three of them are in my room and the other was from a room upstairs. This mausoleum is only open in the morning so when the other girls got up to go, I decided to join them, without a shower, but oh well. No one seemed to mind, or at least they didn’t say so.

We arrived there and lined up to go in to see the waxy, life like sleeping Ho Chi Minh. There were a million soldiers in white uniforms organizing and officiating the whole ordeal. It was so formal, and you couldn’t speak, you couldn’t fold your arms, and no photos, in fact, you had to leave your camera at a checkpoint. Anyway, I made it there and the only photo I can show you, is the photo from the outside of the mausoleum. 

Me, outside of mausoleum

Mausoleum

Street scene

West Lake that we walked by

West Lake view

Then we walked around the West Lake and looked at a pagoda that was awesome. We ate at this street vendor that was yummy, but I’m not sure what the food actually was called. Anyway, it was awesome. 

Lunch we shared on the street

Pagoda

Me in front of the pond

One of the Buddha's on the pagoda

Tree in Pagoda area

Then we went back to the hostel, and on the way back, I wanted to go to see if there were any tickets left for the Water Puppet Show. It’s New Year’s Eve tonight and I didn’t have any plans, but suddenly, I had a plan and was going to the puppet show, and then to the lake where there was apparently some festivities. I ended up going with several of my hostel mates. They are all very different, but super interesting and of different ages. I went back to the hostel to get ready to go out, but I met Crystal on the street and went with her to the coffee place across from our hostel for Egg Coffee. I had heard about this and wanted to try it. It was fantastic, like a dessert or a caramel mousse. If you want to find out more, you should look up Cafe Trung form Vietnam. It is truly a delectable treat.

Egg Coffee across the street

Crystal the Social Worker from
Alaska, and me

Motely crew at dinner enjoying Pho

L to R: Crystal, Stella, Paola, Me

Water Puppet Theater

One Water Puppet photo

From my room, there is Sandra, 31 from Sweden who is on a several week vacation; Crystal, from Alaska who is a 31 year old Social Worker who had quit her job to travel the world; Paola, 23 from Buenos Aires, who is travelling for a medical therapy, which she later told me is Hodgkins Lymphoma; Laure, Karen, and Darren who are from Kingston Ontario, Philadelphia, and England, all teaching English in Kyoto, Japan and on Winter Break holiday, vacationing in Vietnam. We were the motley crew that went to the Puppet Show and then out to the Countdown for New Year’s tonight.

Street scene

Street scene

Huge stage with music on lake

Me, waiting for midnight

20 seconds until New Year's

After the crazy New Year’s Eve countdown which was really cool, but tiring, we walked back to the hostel and went to bed around 1:00 am. It was a very memorable New Year’s Eve and I enjoyed it very much. 

Jan.1., 2015

Today I got up slowly as my poor little feet and legs were definitely feeling all the walking and standing from yesterday. I took my time getting up, showered, did some hand laundry and then went with Crystal for some coffee and to walk around. She was leaving today, on the night train for another destination, down south from here, but we had a lot of the day to hang out, plan the next stops, and go for yummy food, coffee and a walk. She is really nice and I might end up meeting up with her on the southern tour, because we all kind of end up seeing the same places. She told me that I shouldn’t book a tour to see Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island. That I should just go on my own, and that she wished she had done that. So, today, that’s what I did. I booked this trip to Cat Ba and then booked an Open Bus which you can get on and off of, as you work your way down south, to Ho Chi Minh City. It’s a sleeping, comfortable bus that allows you to stay where you want, for as long as you want, and then you just take it to your next destination when you’re ready. It provides a lot of flexibility and options when you are travelling and don’t know if you’re going to like a place enough to stay any length of time. I was really glad to have this done, as it is my least favourite thing to do, and the most time consuming to organize.

Anyway, here are the photos of our yummy Egg Coffee at another place, as well as our lunch and dinner, before she left. Oh, I bought a day backpack to take around when going to the beach, or buying stuff. That way I won’t have to take my big one, which is often too large for beach day trips, or walking tours that require munchies and water bottles. I think it was a great purchase and got if for $10. It’s a North Face and water proof so that should work well.

Second place to try Egg Coffee

Crystal and me

Second Egg Coffee was better as it
wasn't quite as sweet. I love this stuff!

So, that’s it. Tomorrow I think I will visit the Women’s Museum and maybe the Museum of Literature, if I have time. I don’t want to rush around too much, but still want to see some of the cultural sights here before leaving for Cat Ba Island, the day after tomorrow. I will leave my big suitcase in the luggage lock up at this hostel, as I’m leaving the day I return from Cat Ba, from here and they will store it for me. Great, as I won’t have to haul it then. 

Hope you all brought in the New Year with style. I sure did. Miss you and Happy New Year.