Cat Ba Island Highlights & Adventures by Alex

Hi everyone, this is Alex, and here are some of my favorite things that we saw, did and learned on our Cat Ba adventure:

Cat Ba island is a UNESCO protected biosphere - no development or hotels or commercial fishing allowed, to protect all the animals and marine life in the area.

We slept in a floating house (with windows in the floor so you can see the fish in the water!), in a floating village, with floating boat-stores that drive right up to you when you need to buy something!

The scenery was incredible, I loved riding all the boats/kayaks and checking out the view. We even kayaked through some caves with lights on our heads (so we could see in the dark caves) Daddy almost killed Bella!! We visited a beach and found lots of pretty shells and beach glass.

We slept in a large junk boat with 5 cabins on it - there are lots of boats at Cat Ba island, it is a very popular spot!

We biked/hiked/biked to the tallest point on Cat Ba island, the view was very pretty. We went through a big rice field. Along the way, we biked by many animals, including a huge water buffalo, one laid down to have a mud bath right in front of us!!   

One night, we stayed at a cat hotel - there were cats everywhere (they were soooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute!!) plus a golden retriever named Ginger.

We did a second scenic hike to a nice viewpoint, and also toured through the biggest Limestone cave on Cat Ba island! It was really cool to see everything and all the rock shapes.

Visiting the Việt Hải Village, Biking and Hiking

After so much kayaking, we were definitely ready for a break from water, so the next part of our trip was perfect. In the morning, we got up at seven, for breakfast at seven thirty. Then, we got changed and set out for our next activity: hiking. Well, more like biking, then hiking…

At the dock, we all got off and onto some rented bikes. We needed to ride to a village, where there was a path leading up into the mountains. Alex and I had small pink kiddie bikes and my parents had adult bikes. Halfway into the ride, we discovered that Alex’s brakes were broken, which would be a problem. So, we switched. I had been pedaling with my knees next to my ears, the bike was WAY too small, so I took my mom’s bike. She took my dad’s bike, my dad took Alex’s broken bike, and Alex took my old bike- which was her size thankfully.



The ride wasn’t too long, and super beautiful. We were on a nice paved path next to the mountains, with only a few hills. We even got to ride through a small tunnel. It was super funny to see my dad riding the little pink bike! :)

When we got to the Việt Hải village, we dropped our stuff off at a restaurant. A local bike store took Alex's old bike and replaced it with an adult bike for my dad. We rode a little bit more out of the town to the bottom of the trail, and parked our bikes. Then, we started climbing.

Now, you might be picturing a nice, smooth trail in the jungle, with minimal obstacles and no hills. If you were, you would be very, VERY, wrong. (no offense) The trail was barely a trail at all, but more of a steep rock cliff-y thing that we had to rock-climb up. As my mom put it, it was less like hiking and more like bouldering. It was hard, and tiring, and there were many times when I thought my legs would fall off… We carried on this way for about an hour with short breaks for water and to adjust to the altitude.



Thankfully, the view at the top was so beautiful, I almost forgot how sore I was! Really though, the scenic vista at the top of the mountain was wonderful and definitely worth it. We took some amazing photos, and I was only mildly terrified of falling. :) W also got a nice long rest and met some other tourists.

 

After the hike, we rode our bikes back into the town for local lunch. We rode through the rice fields on a narrow path. We got very close to some water buffalo! The lunch at the restaurant was very good. Mong learned that we don’t love seafood, so there were other options. One of the most surprising, and delicious was the purple peanuts covered in sugar!

After lunch, we went for a little wander and stopped at a park to use work-out equipment. We noticed a lot of these outdoor workout stations all around Vietnam, but very few playgrounds for kids. After some time wandering, we rode our bikes back to the docks, and took a water-taxi back to Cat Ba island for our last night on our mini-trip. 

We stayed in two small cabins overlooking a little lagoon and some mountains. The place had a golden retriever named Ginger, which is an odd breed to see here - though there are lots of street dogs. The place also had three little kitties that wandered freely. Alex and I played with them and begged for one, but the parents said no. :(



One cabin was more house-like and the other was a triangular structure. We took a divided approach. Mom and Alex in one, dad and I in the other. Across the lagoon, there were roosters, which woke up at 5 in the morning and did not let us go back to sleep. They were very loud, and I was tired! When I woke up I told my dad about the wolves I heard the night before. They weren’t wolves, just roosters! :) 



On the last day of our adventure, we went hiking, again. This time at a national park. We were all really sore from the hike the day before, but our guide said this hike would be easier. And we believed him. Ha. The hike was the same length as the previous one, but was supposedly easier because the whole thing was stone stairs. We climbed up for about an hour, taking breaks to swing on vines and have water. Thankfully, we were only mostly sore. :)

When we reached the top, there was a two-story gazebo where people were taking pictures and admiring the view. The gazebo wasn’t quite at the top, so we kept hiking. The last 50 meters were completely vertical!! At the top, the view was breathtaking. We could see some planes, which during the rainy season would be full fo water. Wen another group came to the top, we headed back to the gazebo.

The way back down, seemed shorter, but we were glad to see the trail leading to the end. The hike was over, but our adventure wasn’t.

We hopped in the car and drove a few minutes to a cave. It is the biggest cave on Cat Ba island. It took us about 20 minutes to walk through the whole cave, and it was really pretty. We learned that a long time ago, during monsoon season, people would come here to take shelter, and sometimes in the summer when it was really hot.

Kayaking in Caves and Junk Boat Crusing

On the second night, we would stay on a Junk boat, not the fisherman's village, so we had to pack everything up as we headed out for a day full of kayaking, in Ha Long Bay.  After a while of paddling along the mountain-rocks, Mong announced we would be heading to the Hidden Lagoons, three lagoons only accessed by caves, which are only paddle-able at low tide.

Personally, I don’t love caves, but we made it safely through the first one and into the lagoon. The water was sheltered by tall, mountain-and rocks and we sat still and quiet, trying to see the famously elusive monkeys. Since Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO site, there was no garbage in the bay and the water was nice and clear. Ha Long Bay was first recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, again in 2000, and again in 2023. The recognition has brought much pride to Vietnam, and lot's of tourists! 

 

The second cave was good as well. My dad and sister tried to scare me by pretending to be bats when we were in the dark, but I’m sooooo tough… :) The four of us chatted while we paddled around the little lagoon, but our guide quickly told us to be quiet- he had seen a monkey! We all glanced over, but I only got a glimpse before it hid in a tree.

Going into the third lagoon was tricky. The cave had a sharp turn and rocks in the middle. We tried to get through in one go, but failed miserably. It took lots of pushing, paddling, and maneuvering to get out of the tunnel. There also might have been some yelling. (I was convinced we were about to die, the tunnel was narrow, short, and dark nd we almost tipped -TWICE)

We spent the least time in the third lagoon, and I was dreading leaving through that weird tunnel again. Somehow, as we entered the cave, my dad got the brilliant idea to try and get through the tunnel backwards. We did end up getting out, but it was not easy AT ALL. We hit one wall, just to bounce off another! There was more yelling, since I thought we were going to die a second time…

After several hours of kayaking in the rocky paradise, we boarded the junk boat. It is not junky, it is just a traditional name related to the size and shape of the boat... All 5 rooms on the boat were full, but most people weren't actually on the boat, so we had the whole top deck to ourselves! We played a few games with Mong, introducing him to Yahtzee, and had loads of fun. My dad scored his first Yahtzee, but I won the game! :) Then, Mong taught us how to play Spoons, a fast card game. While we played, we talked about what Vietnamese families do for fun in the evenings. We learned about his three children, and that the play more sports than card games. Many homes are pretty small, so the culture is to spend more time outdoors.  

After our games were finished, there was a cooking demonstration on how to make fresh Vietnamese spring rolls. The chef had lots of toppings cut up, and you could choose what you put in your spring roll.Some toppings included: pineapple, sausage, rice noodles, carrots, lettuce, and more. We each made one and they were delicious! We will definitely be doing this at home now, they were easier than I thought. 

A little while later, we had dinner. All the guests ate at one big table, and the meal was very good. When dinner was finished, we went to the top deck and got some exercise playing a dance game, then Alex and I went to the main deck for a squid fishing demonstration. They had already caught three squid when we arrived, and we didn't catch andy, but it was still fun. Squid are funny looking animals. They have long, soft bodies, eight arms, and two flap-like tentacles. There were two clear squid and one red one, that was a little bigger. While the others were fishing, they almost caught a fourth squid, but it sprayed ink and got away. 

Then it was bedtime. We had two cabins, one with three beds and one with one bed. Me, my dad and my sister slept in one, and my mom slept in the other because she had a really bad cough. Alex and I were both excited because it was our first time sleeping on a boat. 

 

Our Cat Ba Adventure to Fisherman Village

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live on the water? We learned about traditional Vietnamese fishing culture and floating villages. Four days ago, we set off on an amazing adventure. To start the trip, a taxi picked us up from our Hanoi hotel and drove us 2 ½ hours to a ferry headed to Cat Ba. The boat ride was 20 minutes, the longest ferry I’ve ever been on. It was a nice view from the second storey we could see a cable car built as an alternative to the ferry and get a sense of the vast area we were headed towards. After the boat docked, we got out and back into the car. The last half-hour was beautiful, with scenic views of the mountains and a cool glimpse into the small-town life in Vietnam. The little town we were driving through was Cat Ba, and it was where we would start our adventure. Cat Ba is the largest island of the 367 islands in the Cat Ba Archipelago. A cool thing to know is, that the island was originally named Cac Ba, which meant women's island but we heard that people found this hard to pronounce so they changed the name.



The taxi dropped us off at the tour company’s ‘store’ owned by Mr. Henry - the store is really just a room with a few chairs and table to get prepped for the trip. We were greeted with a welcome drink, tea or water, which seems customary here.  We also met our guide, Mong. The owner of the company used a large map to explain the trip route to us and all the activities we would do - and there were a lot of them! :) We walked with our guide to a dock where a water-taxi was waiting. It took us 15 minutes to boat to the floating fisherman's village.

The fisherman’s village, Cai Beo, is made up of tiny houses, boats, and fish farms. Most of the houses are made of shipping containers or wood. Some are even on boats, and all are floating. All are painted turquoise, a rule from the government. The shipping-container houses have empty plastic barrels underneath to buoy them, and the houses have a long rope that they tie to the surrounding rocks as an anchor. Many of the buildings also have little fish farms. A fish farm is essentially a regular farm, just with fish -with water instead of land, with fish instead of livestock. There are square holes with wood around them and a net suspended in the water. Fish are kept and cared for in the nets, until the family sells -or eats- them.



It was crazy to see all the little houses and fishing boats milling around. Some people were already preparing their day's catch when we arrived, where some were just heading out. The village was very busy, and when we asked our guide how many people lived there, we were floored. Though there may not look to be tons of houses, 400 people live in the Cai Beo village! We stayed in a beautiful wooden floating house on the edge of the village. The people who ran the house were not fishermen, but they did have a small fish farm on the deck. Once we had our bags in the rooms and some things unpacked, we got changed and ready for our first activity- kayaking. 

Another water taxi took our group to a small beach, where we waited for a bigger boat to drop off enough kayaks for our whole group. When we had everything we needed, the adventure began. Me and my dad shared one kayak, my mom and sister took another. The guide had his own. As we paddled, Mong, our guide, told us all about the rocks and scenery we were seeing. The water was a deep green colour, and much warmer than I expected! :) The paddle lasted about 2 hours, and we enjoyed every minute, except when my dad almost tipped our boat!!

Back at the floating homestay, we had time to relax to take in the view and enjoyed a huge dinner with lots of seafood. They made so much food there were at least 5 dishes, tofu, squid, oysters, jelly fish salad, fries and of course, rice. Rice is a staple at every meal, Vietnam is one of the top 5 rice producers in the world. We learned you should always serve 2 scoops, one scoop for the past ancestors and one of the living. 

That night Alex and I shared a bed, which she does not like but we didn't share for long because we there were so many sounds and things going on that she could not sleep, so around 1am Dad came in with me and she went with Mom. It rained very hard that night, everything was wet as we moved around in the night and we had to wake up SUPER early in the morning (6-ish) to get ready for our second day paddling adventure. 

Learning about Vietnamese Culture Past and Present

Today we visited the Museum of Ethnology to learn about the many ethnic groups in Vietnam. The museum was huge, with many replica buildings from different regions we could go in and see. There was tons to learn about and do, so we spent about 3 to 4 hours reading, looking and asking questions. We learned a lot about Vietnam’s many ethnic groups and how they may have lived. The interactive exhibits helped us see the way they organized their houses. Houses were mostly built of bamboo and mud construction (with no nails!) and there were sometimes steep stairs, almost like a ladder to get into the house. Often the house was a central room for cooking, gathering and hosting guests or sleeping. There may also be a small sleeping room or storage room off the main room. It was a busy day at the museum as many young local people were there in their best traditional Vietnamese clothing taking pictures for the upcoming Tet celebration. Tet is the biggest and most important holiday in Vietnam, the first day of the Lunar New Year and we are excited to get to watch the preparations underway.

After the museum we went to Tay Ho Lake, also known as West Lake. We heard the 17-km shoreline was lined with cafes, ancient pagodas and pretty gardens, but the part we ended up in was filled with heavy traffic and cafes that sold coffee but no snacks so we kept walking to find food. We walked a long way hoping that each corner would have a spot for lunch, but no luck. So, we ended up settling for some roadside fried food, our most disappointing meal yet, but the smoothies and lemonades were good! :)

A highlight this evening was exploring street corners and dining with local people as we tried new things. Mom went for Pho, a traditional soup, and we tasted about 4 other dishes with noodles, rice and delicious spring rolls. We saw several guys walking around with large portable speakers (the size of a recycling bin) and we wondered, what are they doing? Then, some of the locals in our restaurant called one guy over and the karaoke began! Everyone at their table took turns singing and recording one another. We also loved the balloon sellers with their huge colourful bouquets. After dinner, we wandered the vendor stalls. The market seemed like a spot where there were as many locals as tourists, which was nice. There were a lot of stalls, they lined the streets in every direction on both sides, store after store - many of the stalls sold the exact same things, plus there were sellers walking with their goods in strollers/carts. It was quite a colourful experience!

On the way home we went to train street. Train Street is right close to our hotel, and a huge tourist spot! It is popular because of the crazy conditions, the train runs just about a meter away from the houses and shops lining either side of the railway. When the train is coming, everyone brings their tables, chairs, stands, etc. into their shops and houses so that the train can go by. For a few years, Train Street was closed because a tourist almost got hit, but it has opened again and everyone, including us, loves it!

Seeing the Sights in Hanoi

After many full day adventures with guides in Thailand, it is nice to wander around Hanoi without much of a plan, and there is so much to see and do. Everywhere you look there are colourful shops, temples, small parks and mysterious alleys. We walked just about everywhere and are beginning to feel like we are learning the landscape of the old quarter. It is hard to get tot know a place in just a few days, but thanks to lots of walking and sightseeing, we have settled in nicely! We are close to lots of cute food corners and markets, which are helpful landmarks.

On Saturday we visited Hoa Lo Prison, to some it may seem strange to visit a prison (though lots of people come to Kingston to do this as well) but this prison has quite a history and we learned a lot. For example, the word ‘Hoa Lo’ means stove or furnace. This was a big prison built by the French in 1896. A village was moved or demolished and people displaced to make the prison. After the French were driven out of Hanoi the prison was converted to a Vietnamese facility. It was originally intended to house about 450 inmates but may have had as many as 2000 men and women. In 1964, the prison was nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton by the American prisoners of war who were housed there until 1973. We were surprised to learn that over 100 people escaped from the Hoa Lo Prison through sewer systems and other secret exits.

In the evening we went on a mission to find the weekend walking streets with markets. In Hanoi, they close a significant set of streets in the old city near Hoan Kiem Lake for evening markets and walking Friday-Sunday. The whole area is fun - there are lots of light up toys and cars, families sitting around, music playing, street food, vendors and much more! The atmosphere reminds us a bit of the Malecon (boardwalk) in La Paz, Mexico which comes alive with families in the evening and the Ciclovia (cycleway) in Bogota, Colombia. What we love is that it is not just tourists but full of locals out being active. We thought thst this walking street was an amazing way to be active and socialize at the same time! It was a great chance to get a glimpse of local life, sine it wasn’t just tourists there. If Kingston or London did this, I think it would be a huge hit! :)

Love from Vietnam! 🌴☀🩷

We have arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam!

In December we applied for visas online to enter Vietnam and we were approved a few days before our flight! Cutting it a bit close… and at the airport we discovered one of Alex’s many names had been cut off, thankfully the gate agent was able to correct it as the visas in Vietnam are quiet important and specific.

Hanoi was named in 1831 by the Minh Mang King - Ha means river and Noi means inside - so this city is known as the land between the rivers. As you can imagine, there are rivers (the Red and Black rivers) as well as some lakes to wander around, pathways and streets closed to traffic on weekend evenings where people are out strolling, children are playing on push carts and groups are dancing.

The first thing we noticed on our ride from the airport was the traffic, it was intense! Now we didi arrive at rush hour… but it seems like it may always be rush hour! It took us over an hour to reach our hotel, our driver was great and he used every tool possible to keep us moving amid the cars, scooters, pedal bikes, people and parked cars! After the girls napped, we passed our time playing eye spy with the fascinating sights around us.

We also noticed that the streets are narrow with busy shops and cafes spilling onto the city walks. There are mopeds and scooters everywhere. Many buildings are gorgeous, with old narrow buildings side by side with new ones… later we found out that many of the old houses were narrow to avoid property tax, which is based on the width of the building according to French law in the 19th century (not sure this applies). Our first night here we wandered in search of dinner and arrived on train street, very near our hotel. This is a narrow street filled with cafes and lights where an active train whizzes by throughout the day! It is free to visit and you can wander and wait to grab an egg coffee!

Coffee is a huge thing here, there is a real cafe culture as part of a social pastime. Vietnam is the second largest producer of coffee in the world and therefore very inexpensive here (as is the tea, which is often locally brewed with ginger and lemongrass). Some of the cafes are entirely on the street with a series of stools and others are inside/outside - there are lots of open-air seating everywhere. It is a shame our family does not drink coffee cause they have some exceptional blends here - egg coffee and coconut coffee. Both of these types of coffee were solutions to a lack of milk during war time when eggs and coconuts were still accessible.

You might notice in our photos we are bundled up, it is cooler here than Thailand - ranging from 16-20 during the day and getting as low as 12 at night. It feels cool for us coming from a warm country but we anticipated this and brought our layers and mitts!