Renting a scooter and getting some directions couldn't have been easier. Our Guy in the hotel just gave us the keys to the scooters and a helmet and off we were.
For the girls it was the first time on a bike as well (I already had two days experience) so we set off quite slow and whobbly.
As all the scooters are nearly empty when you pick them up our first stop was a petrol station (or any shop where you can get petrol - it's being sold from plastic bottles at most street shops, restaurants and probably barbers as well).
The price at the first shop was ridiculous at 40000 Dong (for a litre out of a plastic bottle), but Basti found a proper petrol station just about 100m further down the road (around a corner) where it was only 21000 Dong.
We filled up our 4 scooters and set off.
When we got out of town the streets became curvier and went up some hills. The girls started to get the hang of it we all cruised through the rain forest of Cat Ba Island towards the Hospital Cave.
This was a cave that was developed with concrete walls, hallways and doors to become a secret hospital that was used during the American/Vietnam War.
It was pretty extensive and interesting to see. I don't think it could have been discovered as it was very well hidden in the rock.
From here we rode on and saw a small hut at the side of the road referring to another cave.
For this one, there was no entrance fee and to be honest it wasn't even open to the public but the closed gate in front of it was not attached to a fence, which we considered as an invitation to come in.
It was a bit like an exploration of the cave as it was completely dark (which in these days does not cause a problem to anyone who wanders in unprepared as we had smartphones with LED flashes).
The path through the cave was done up in concrete and there were bulbs hanging in some spots but they were off, so it did have a bit of an adventurous feel to it.
Our next stop was going to be the Cat Ba National Park and climbed up on the 225m high Ngu Lam peak. From here we had a great view of the surrounding peaks (none of them appeared to be as hight as ours). Even the hazy clouds that hang between the mountains did not take away from the experience, but may have even added to it.
As far as we could see was only jungle, lime stone mountains and clouds. Really worth the climb/hike up the steep path.
On the way back we passed and ice cream stand and since it was already lunch time I had a main dish ice cream and a desert ice cream.
Now we had to make a decision if we ride up to the harbour in the west of the island or south along the west coast, back to Cat Ba City where we our hotel was.
Basti wanted to explore more and went up the coast to the harbour but we were happy to take ride back to the hotel. The road was still being built so it was more of an off-road experience than a smooth ride but it was good fun and we made it safely home. We even met some goats along the way.
Our last dinner on Cat Ba Island should be a nice one and we did find a Vietnames BBQ place which is similar to a Korean BBQ place. The main difference is that you don't get any lettuce or Kimchi with the meat but it was still tasty and filling.
We had a little gas cooker at our table and ordered a plate of beef, pork and chicken.
After all was gone it was time to head back and pack and get some sleep.
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