Vietnam 2, and Good Bye SE Asia

In his finest for Tet!

Twice we were told there would be no guided walks in the National Park on Cat Ba Island during our only full day there. It was the first day of Tet, which we didn’t know when we planned the trip.
It seemed there were nothing but obstacles in our way, and that we would not be able to attempt this 12-16 km hike, despite having had it as a major goal here.
A guide is recommended because of the logistics involved, and the fact the trail goes through the jungle.
There were slight discrepancies in the listed length of the trail, and how much time to allot; the last public boat one needs to take after completing the point to point trek, left at 1pm due to the holiday; the morning was overcast, and so far no forecast has yet been correct for us in Vietnam - we would not have been surprised if it rained.

Link to Vietnam 2

Then the young manager of the (Airbnb) hotel, introduced us to a young couple from the Canary Islands - they had walked it without a guide the day before. The manager said that because we were OLD (literally, and several times), he thought it not advisable. Our concern still was the getting back to town, as I wasn’t confident I could meet the deadline of the last boat. Now the manager redeemed himself, because he suggested we hire a private boat in the morning (~ $17), and walk the trail in the opposite direction. He admitted he had not walked it, but was quite confident finding our way would be easy. So we signed up, and made it.
Lan Ha Bay is beautiful, and probably gorgeous when the sun is out. It borders the famous Ha Long Bay, which is slightly to the north. The boat ride took an hour, and our captain was a friendly woman.

Dogs out fishing

Per Craig’s tracking program we hiked 10.6 miles (17 km), and this included an extra path at the end. The trail is not marked on google maps, and no paper maps were available. Finding our way early on was a bit challenging going in the opposite direction, but just in time, a guide(!) with a small group, pointed us in the right direction. After this everything was easy navigation-wise, and once we got over the first hill (with very sharp rocky surfaces, where we needed to pay attention to both our footing, and hand placement), the hike was no big deal. Some parts we did faster than the ‘book time’, but am not sure of the entire trip. And the sun came out as forecast.
I took very few pictures, as we felt we had to keep moving, to make sure we made the last bus at the end, but we also had no real views, and neither heard, nor saw monkeys.
The unknown is always the worst, and it never felt like one of our 9 lives after all.

Tree Hugger

I am very happy - this is the longest hike since my hip 2.5 years ago, and it honestly felt shorter. I dedicate it to Connie, who said to hike one for her!

We are now on our way to New Zealand, where we meet Craig’s sister June for a week of touring. And then Kim and Chris arrive!

A few more observations from Cat Ba Island and Hanoi:
⁃ young men like shaved temples, and poofy hair. Women like very high heels, and seem much more fashion conscious than elsewhere we have been. Lots of high end brand name stores in central Hanoi
⁃ Craig noticed a very bulky bull sculpture in the window of the Hanoi Stock Exchange
⁃ There is a large McDonald’s here, arches and all
⁃ The Economist was prominently displayed at the airport, and they list prices in USD in the stores
⁃ We arrived here safely despite a very aggressive Uber driver, who maybe honed his weaving-around-and-between-everything skills as a motorcyclist. Everyone tail gates - I am reminded of trying to squeeze into a parking spot on Beacon Hill, but now we were going 60mph.

⁃ We were very touched when the brand new, and very young manager of the unit in Hanoi showed up with a Tet cake, meant for 8, and which his mother had made. It passed security at the airport, and Craig will share it with June soon (a savory concoction of sticky rice, pork, scallions etc wrapped in a palm leaf, and boiled for some 12 hrs)
⁃ I loved real Vietnamese coffee, which had a chocolatey flavor, and is made in some contraption similar to what Starbucks uses for espresso.
⁃ I wonder if everyone repeatedly calling us old, means this as a sign of respect? A new airport security guy, very young, this morning made a comment about how strong I am, just because he saw me with my back pack, which is carry on size..  We have mostly seen 20 to 30-year-olds out backpacking, but certainly also people way older than we are.
⁃ This is the only country we have ever been to, which displays more national flags than we do. This could be because of Tet, but Craig doubts it.

We have been in SE Asia since the first week of December, and Craig wants to write the next post on what we will miss, and not.