Tim and I on the roof of the world

This morning (17.01.18) we were picked up by our bus driver in front of the hostel at 8:00 am. We then drove on a bus for 2 hours, took a ferry for 10 minutes, and then drove another 10 minutes on Cat Ba Island until we reached our hostel. Checked in and already made connections. A boy who was also staying at our hostel in Hanoi checked in to this hostel as well. He is Thai but born in Germany and visited his mother in Thailand, combining it with a trip through Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam. He has been in Vietnam for 8 weeks and gave us a lot of useful tips. Today we sleep in a double room. What we treat ourselves on the 3rd day :D

We then went out and looked for something to eat. We found something and immediately got information about the tours. It was 9 dollars cheaper there than at the first stand. Today we were bargain hunters. So we're going on a day trip tomorrow. After eating, we rented a scooter for 2.50€ and drove 18 km to Cat Ba National Park with an empty tank because the landlord said it was full and we couldn't open the hatch ;D Well, we arrived and the park warden immediately helped us and sold us gasoline in bottles. So we went into the park and after a 5-minute walk we went up the hill. Sometimes stairs, sometimes rocks, and sometimes just branches. It took us 1 hour, we drank 2 liters of water and felt like we lost 20 liters of sweat. But when we suddenly climbed the last step, a breathtaking view awaited us. We were surrounded by nature and mountains in a 360-degree angle. It was wonderful, we almost shed a tear. We were 200m high and actually felt like we were on the roof of the world. There was only us, mountains, sun, greenery, and a light breeze. After a short break and a few conversations with Germans, we climbed another mountain and then went down exhausted and with trembling legs. After that, we drove back with the scooter and enjoyed a local crepe with cheese, egg, ham, and parsley.

Now we are sitting in the room and planning our onward journey. Tim is going to shower now and I'm waiting for my fabi to call me :)

See you tomorrow