Chapter 7.1 - Cat Ba Island

27.2.

7:21 a.m.

Woke up. For a change, no megaphone voice at 6:00 a.m.

Water seems to be running again, I'll go shower first. Then to River Homestay for breakfast. Departure at 9 a.m. Let's start the day.

8:14 a.m.

I'm sitting at Riverside Homestay and treating myself to a banana pancake, omelette, and bread. With an instant ca phe. Afterwards, I'll be driven to the bus stop.

10:02 a.m.

We finally leave for Cat Ba with a 1-hour delay. The bus is mostly filled with French people. Swiss people are sitting next to me. I'm a bit tired, but the 4-hour ride should pass relatively quickly. I realized that my ticket was slightly expensive. I paid 250k for the booking at Riverside. I think I could have gotten the ticket for 100k. Well, you live and learn.

2:07 p.m.

I'm standing on the deck of the ferry. We'll soon be in Cat Ba. I hope I can have lunch right away. I'm getting hungry. There's a cable car stretched over the water from the mainland. It looks pretty cool. I can feel the effects of my sunstroke from yesterday again. Need to find some shade. It seems like the sun in Vietnam is much more aggressive than anywhere else.

The ferry ride took less than 20 minutes. I also did some research. The crossing with a motorcycle costs 50 cents for one person. 9.50€ per person for a 4.5-hour bus ride seems pretty lucrative. Maybe I should get into the tourism business.

The bus driver is driving the mountain road like Schumi, I wonder how often his bus needs maintenance? :D

4:31 p.m.

I'm sitting in a restaurant on the beach. It's much nicer here than at my accommodation. I'm also a bit surprised by the homestay. It's kind of cute, but also takes some getting used to. The bathroom and toilet are separate and located outside. The walls are like cardboard. The bed sheets also look dirty, there are stains on them and a few hairs. Currently, it seems like I'm the only guest here at the homestay. I wonder why that is. The scooter I rented keeps stalling and is also more expensive than in Ninh Binh. The owner is super nice. Her name is Hapy.

At least the ambiance is nice with her. I think sitting here in the evening is quite enjoyable.

But I'll make the best of it. I think tomorrow I'll go directly to the beach. Screw it, I need it :D

Let's see what the evening brings. Hopefully, I won't freeze on the way back. It gets cold in the wind when you have a 15-minute drive. I brought a thin rain jacket. It'll have to do.

Finally, a coffee and grilled squid with rice. My delayed lunch.

I also went to the ATM. There's only one on the whole island.

6:02 p.m.

Back at the homestay. Hapy is watering her garden. I'm setting up the billiard table. There are missing balls, it's really run down, but I can still practice my shots.

Somehow this accommodation feels like camping, just with air conditioning. Hapy is burning her trash in the garden, the smoke is bothering me a bit. Now she's cooking Pho for me.

A little while ago, three Mongolians arrived. They're continuing their journey to the south. I also saw three other Europeans who are staying here.

10:41 p.m.

I'm in bed. Wow, the homestay has enchanted me now. The people always make up for it. I've made friends with the Mongolians. The Europeans are all Germans. I even get along with the dogs and birds now.

Tomorrow there will be a detailed report with pictures of everything.

Stay tuned. Good night ;)