Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island

I'm overwhelmed by the beauty of Halong Bay and Sapa. So overwhelmed that I cannot find appropriate words to describe my feelings. To me, Heaven does exist. Simply because I was there...............

Probably a few pictures here won't tell thousands words. You really have to be there personally to feel it. So i suggest you pack your bags and head to Halong Bay and Sapa this instant! But if you can't, follow me, your virtual tourist guide for a trip to Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island. Pack your swimming suits/ trunks, make sure your camera batteries are fully charged and most importantly, open your eyes so you don't miss any of the magnificent views :)

The only way to admire the beauty of Halong Bay and to get to Cat Ba Island is to hop on to a junk boat. There are probably other alternatives but this sure is the best!

Cruising in Junk Boat

It was cloudy and drizzling that day. Fortunately, the wet weather didn't spoil the scenery. The open sea remained calm, the water remained crystal clear and green, the limestones still stood tall in the water. The mist and clouds somehow made the whole place looked heavenly. I felt as if I had been transported to another world. This is Heaven on earth.

Heavenly Jenn

Standing at the deck to feel the fresh wind against your body while enjoying the views was a wonderful. I instantly felt 'lighter'. Not lighter in my body but my mind and soul. The salty wind seemed to have blown away all my problems and burdens. Here, there is no need for soothing songs and essential oil to relax one's mind. The quietness of the open sea, the fresh but slightly salty air, the sparkling cool water, the wonders of thousands of limestones all provided free by Mother Nature are enough to calm yourself....




You could opt to spend the night on the Junk. We chose to spend the night in Cat Ba Island which is 1 hour of bus ride from the harbour of Cat Ba. Too bad we didn't have a lot of time in Vietnam. Otherwise, we would definitely do both! The thought of lying on the deck in the pitch dark to watch the twinkling stars above us is just sOOooo soooOOOo romantic! ^^

The famous 'fighting cocks' of Halong Bay

Cat Ba Island is a fish village. It's by the ocean and backed by lots and lots of rocky mountains. It's a town with very good feng shui! The locals are very lucky to be able to enjoy this incredible view everyday. But if you have access to this beautiful view everyday, will you bother to admire it everyday? Will you start to take it for granted?

Their locally produced fish sauce is amazingly fresh and fragrant. I think it's better than the Thai fish sauce we have at home! Vietnam should seriously think about exporting this wonderful stuff.

See the white building furthest to the right? that's our hotel, facing the ocean

View from our hotel room - Cat Ba Island

See how wide the roads are??? There are hardly any cars on the road. Just bicycles, motorbikes and pedestrians. We could even walked in the middle of the road without having to worry being knocked! There are a lot of seafood restaurants in town. Some of the seafood served are pretty weird. Who eats star fish anyway? Oh yeah, how can I forget that ppl in Beijing do.

Live sea cucumbers anyone?

After dinner in our holiday hotel, we rented bikes to explore the town. There are no rules on the road. We cycled from the left side of the road to the right side and then left again and.... No cars, no police, no worries!

Our bicycles

Jenn in control ;p

It was fun riding around in that bicycle. We rode with all our strength up the hill but gave up half way because it was just too hard. The 'burden' (us) is just too heavy! haha... So we zoomed down from the hilltop. Awesome! Once, we almost collided with a bunch of teenage cyclists. They screamed, we screamed. It was hilarious!

We spotted a nice cozy cafe serving Vietnamese coffee by the ocean. Immediately, we stopped to have a try. How can one come to Vietnam without tasting one? It's like going to Beijing and not climb the Great Wall of China!

As the menu was in Vietnamese and the waitresses didn't speak or understand English, we decided to be adventurous and ordered whatever that sounds nice. It was a good move because we got really pure milk blended fresh avocado, milk blended fresh sour sop and ta-da.... Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk that came in little cup filter on top!

sorry, pic is a bit unclear...
the photographer's hands were shaking. I know J couldn't wait to drink all

I'm not a coffee drinker. Usually, one small sip is enough to make me drowsy, sleepless and heart racing fast. On that night, I took more than one sip of Vietnamese coffee. Hmm... sweet and buttery. It is addictive i tell you. I took one sip after another! And the great thing was, I still managed to sleep like a piggie that night! haha...

We then stopped on our way back to hotel for a little homemade beer by the roadside. The young lady owner is pretty cute... ;p

Isn't she pretty?

We had a good day. Beautiful scenery, beautiful food. Everything was good so far...

Jenn is sleepy. Time to end our journey to Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island now. I will leave you with some food to enjoy......

Our lunch on the Junk after 4 hour of bus ride from Hanoi to the harbour of Halong Bay.