A hearty breakfast, a little time to relax, a quick pump-out of the black-water, and off to Cat Ba Island (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A1t_B%C3%A0_Island).
Quan and John doing a little fishing off the bow.
Little floating convenience store.
Black-water barge.
Pumping out the black-water.
A little worse for the wear.
Morning on Ha Long Bay.
Misty isles in the morning.
Morning view from the bow.
Once we reach Cat Ba Island, we’re quickly hustled onto a minibus. Apparently there’s a special cave that we have just got to visit…
Our happy ferryman on Cat Ba Island.
Fishing nets drying in the breeze.
Layers.
Fishers on board there vessel.
Off on our next adventure.
Mountains and ponds.
Pond net.
The trail to the cave.
Reflections.
Thien Long Cave.
Inside Thien Long Cave.
Roots extending from ceiling into floor.
Natural Buddha in Thien Long Cave.
A fishers’ home.
Ferry-side café.
Chillin’ at the Cat Ba Town docks.
After checking in at our hotel we had lunch in Cat Ba Town… and then it was off to Monkey Island.
We land on Monkey Island, just off-shore from Cat Ba Island.
Monkey Island jungle trail hike.
Jungle trail is nearly straight up.
Near the top of Monkey, just before the 1st peak.
1st peak view.
1st peak view 02.
Eron makes a new buddy.
Time to leave Monkey Island.
Woman running our vessel.
Cat Ba Island fish farms.
Cat Ba Island fish farms 02.
Cat Ba Island fish farms 03.
Floating village near Cat Ba Island.
Floating village near Cat Ba Island 02.
Squid-fishing boat near Cat Ba Island.
Back to the Cat Ba Town docks.
Rowing with his feet in Cat Ba Town harbour.
We had some down-time and then it was time for dinner. We were left to our own devices for this meal. So, Eron and I walked the entire waterfront (it wasn’t that long) before settling on a small sidewalk restaurant featuring (you probably guessed it), seafood hotpots. I’m still not quite sure what we ordered; but it was extremely tasty, chock full of fresh seafood (we had to cook it in the boiling broth), and almost embarrassingly cheap.
A short after-dinner stroll and then it was off to bed… yet another early morning start.
East to Hedon
East to Hedon 