Cat Ba and Halong Bay

Decided that as the package tours to Halong Bay all returned to Hanoi that we'd make our own way there. This was pretty easy and after a big bus, small bus, hydrofoil and one more big bus we were in Cat Ba town. Cat Ba is the largest island in Halong Bay and apparently the only inhabited one. The town is kind of like an English seaside resort except for the Vietnamese food and the sunshine.

We had a mooch about, drank some Bia Hoi (cheapest beer in the world) and had some noodle soup. Then we enquired about day trips around Halong Bay. Our hotel were very keen for us to take their trip but we kept saying no and booked elsewhere. The trip was pretty standard - quite a few of us on a smallish boat which went out to sea past the floating markets and then into the beautiful Halong Bay.

The scenery was pretty fantastic although to be honest, after an hour of it, gets a bit samey. After a few hours sailing, we went to a cave which was a tourist trap (Claire got a little mirror) albeit a pretty cool tourist trap. The light made it feel a bit Indiana Jones and I got some decent photos amidst the crowds.

After the cave we stopped off at a raft village and did some kayaking through caves which was fairly good except the kayak was damn uncomfortable and my oar was knackered. Also, it's just like the scenery we'd been looking at for three hours except from a lower vantage point. The bay is pretty dirty too with many massive jellyfish floating around.

We then had a very nice lunch (fresh fish and stuff) on the boat and scoffed more than our fair share - the group of Germans at the other end of the table didn't like the look of the food whereas me and Malik (guy we met on the boat) were starving hungry so we got all their food too.

We then headed for Monkey island which, as you can imagine, had lots of monkeys on it. It was crap. The sea had rubbish floating in it, it was damn hot and the only cafe was a complete rip-off. The best bit I suppose was watching a monkey catch a can of beer and drink it.

Spoke with Malik and his wife Ulrika on the top deck about places in Laos and Cambodia (where they'd already been) and arranged to meet for dinner at the floating restaurant in Cat Ba (of Top Gear fame). Boat got back to Cat Ba and we went back to the hotel for a while to chill out. Realised I had left my flip-flops on the boat - gutted! Mind you, they did cripple me for a few days so probably for the best.

Got the free boat to the floating cafe and were told how much the fish (which were kept in baskets under the restaurant i.e. the sea) were. They were way way too much so we just sat down, had one beer and then caught the free boat back to shore. Then we had dinner at our hotel served by a very grumpy teenage girl who clearly wanted us to sod off as it was getting late. No tip.

Didn't really do much else in Cat Ba as it was not that great a place - quite touristy and not that special really. Halong Bay was very pretty but also kind of ruined by tourism. Shame really.

Next place, Ninh Binh, Tam Coc, Bicycles and the real Vietnam.

Ko Lipe, Thailand

Arrived by boat but as this tiny island has no piers, had to literally jump on to a long tail boat to reach shore.

Instantly felt the vibe here. Chilled out, friendly, quiet, no cars, beautiful.

Wandered around trying to find a cheap hut to sleep in and ended up at first place we looked at again. It was a bamboo hut with a private bathroom and even a TV!

Went for a drink on the beach then had some thai food and then went to bed.

Woke up early and hired snorkelling gear. Main beach was too choppy so we headed for sunset beach. Water was very clear and we saw loads of bright coloured fish. Did snorkelling all day then had some dinner,
Sunk a few Changs and then went to bed.

Decided to do kayaking the next day and got one for 400 baht for the whole day. We planned to circumnavigate the entire island so stocked up on water and set sail/paddle.

Found a tiny island about 200 metres off the coast that had a mini beach. Went swimming for a while before continuing on. Found a beach with loads of monkeys on it so watched them for a while.

Got one beach from home when a woman came down the beach asking if we were staying at the hotel there. We said no, unsure if it was a private beach or not and expecting to be told to sod off but she said
"don't panic but there has been a huge earthquake off the coast of Sumatra and the tsunami warning sirens had gone off". We obviously panicked and paddled back to our beach at warp speed, eyes fixed on
the horizon to check for massive waves approaching. I'll do a separate post on this as it was quite an experience. See 'Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning 11/4/12'.

Daylight after the tsunami warning came and a weird atmosphere hung around the place. All boats back to the mainland had sold out so we decided to stay another night. We had planned to get tickets to leave
the day before but being stuck up a mountain all night scuppered those plans somewhat.

The island seemed deserted. Spoke to some locals who said that many Westerners had got scared and fled. Seemed a shame really but hey, the quiet island was now almost private! Normality returned in the afternoon and good spirited locals began laughing and joking again.

Booked tickets to Krabi, had a swim in the sea, ate some lunch (Claire had a pizza!) and then in the evening took some Changs to sunset beach to watch, yep, you guessed it, the sunset. The colours were fantastic
and it was nice to just sit back, relax and admire the sun setting.

Watched some cute dogs chase these dead quick crabs about then met a guy called Jim who showed us this phenomenon where this species of plankton glow in the dark, There were thousands of tiny lights all along the shoreline which looked cool.

Chilled out at reggae bar called Boom Boom bar and then walked back in the pitch dark guided by three little kittens.

Slept pretty well, got up, had breakfast (thai pancakes) and set off to Krabi.

Ko Lipe will always be a place I remember not just because of the tsunami warning but also because it was one of the coolest places I've ever been with very friendly people.

Next up, Rai Leh (near to Krabi town).