Goodbye Vietnam

Frankly, we couldn't afford to stay any longer at this Hotel and had to move to a more reasonably priced accommodation for our last night in Vietnam.

Before we did this I took all possible benefit out of the pool and the Spa area once again.
Breakfast was not included and would have set us back 22 USD so we decided to pack up and move to our new hotel.

Our friend / tourguide from Cat Ba had suggested a place of a friend which we went to find. Unfortunately it was full but we were shown another place of a friend.
Our stay (for both of us) in this window less but clean hotel rook was cheaper than breakfast for one person at the Metropole.

We asked the receptionist where to find the best "bun cha" around there. A famous Hanoi dish with barbecued pork, rice noodles and loads of vegetables.

The ground floor of Bun Cha Dac Kim at 1 Hang Manh was packed with locals which was a good sign. We were led up the first set of stairs, past a full 1st floor and a full second floor. When we got to the third floor we found a spot and set down.

Not really sure what to do we waited if there was a menu coming or not. Instead of a menu our dish arrived already, so it seems to be a one-dish restaurant. I really start to like them. You get only one dish but that dish has been perfected by the family for generations.

A quite large bowl af garlic and chilli and a bowl of different leaves were already present on the table and so the feast could begin.

We watched the other guest to figure out what to do.

Dipping the noodles in the soup, adding some chilli and garlic and some leaves made a fantastic combination of tastes. The whole dish was accompanied by a large plate of at least 6 spring rolls cut in pieces.

If you should decide to visit Hanoi and try this place, please be aware that there are two Kim Ban Cha restaurants next to each other. The one we ate at pointed out, on a large sign, that the one next door was a fake and not to be trusted. I guess since ours was the one that was much more full, we were in the authentic one, but who knows, maybe it is the best organized scam in south-east asia?!
After our filling breakfast we wanted to visit Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum but had to pick up a jacket since it was getting cold up here in north Vietnam.

Unfortunately it turned out that Friday (and Mondays) Ho needed some rest from visitors and the Mausoleum, the Museum and the Presidential Palace were not open to the public.

We were forced to enjoy it from the outside and walk on. After a coffee at a street cafe we found some narrow alleys with many vendors selling their goods and scooters wiggling through and slowly made our way back to our Hotel.

Our last night in Vietnam was not as exciting as it could have been. I think, similar to a marathon runner, our energy level after this two weeks marathon was close to the end and we didn't fancy a run towards the finishing line, so we decided to get some quick food and have a last stroll through the streets of Hanoi.

We actually ended up in the same street cafe (and on the same little stools) as we did during the afternoon. Here we reviewed the events and adventures of our last two weeks in this wonderful country while sipping on the last Vietnamese Coffee.

Vietnam is one of my favourite places on this trip so far, maybe it also because I didn't travel alone, maybe it is because I travelled at a quicker pace or maybe it was because it is just an amazing place full of friendly people, who don't (unlike to Thailand) only see dollar signs when they look at you.

Vietnam, just after Nepal you are my number two! Thank you (and thanks Basti, for coming along for the ride... good man!)

Livin' it up

We needed to get back to Hanoi but luckily didn't book the very early trip. So we could have breakfast at the hotel and hang out on the chairs in front for a while until at around 9 our bus arrived and we were driven to the western harbour where we got on a boat to HaiPhong.

AS we booked this trip in the hotel our bus and boat companions were entirely tourists.
At the mainland pier we were all shoved into a little bus where I got a seat in the back row where there was no space at all to put my legs anywhere. Luckily the trip with this small bus was not too long as it only took us for about 30 minutes from the pier into HaiPhong town.

The majority of the shops in HaiPhong are related to logistics. Plenty of large logistic centres,
container yards and factories on the way into town. Also there are hundreds (I actually believe it is at least 100) little shops to repair trucks and trailers.

It had a real busy harbour feel to it which I could only witness from my cramped seat.
However in town we switched to a normal overland bus and set off to Hanoi.

We arrived at a Bus station just a couple of blocks away from our magnificent Hotel that we should reside in this night. The famous Hanoi Metropole Hotel.

Our backpacks strapped on we evaded the taxi touts and made our way through the busy streets to the Hotel that previously hosted many famous people.

If it is good enough for most of the French presidents, George H. W. Bush, and Jane Fonda it shall suffice for us as well.

Joan Baez visited Hanoi with an American delegation in December 1972 and found herself caught in the Christmas bombings. She recorded her song "Where Are You Now, My Son?" in her hotel room at the Thong Nhat during an air raid, with the sounds audible in the recording.

Also Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard spent their honeymoon at the Metropole in 1936 after getting married in Shanghai.

Since the stay was not cheap we ensured we would only use any complementary services of the hotel, which luckily included the pool and the spa.

After a quick visit there we tried our suits (outside of the shop) for the first time. If not here where else!?

They still fit. Instead of trying lobster filled with caviar we decided we should get a Pizza.

The late Enzo Mascarpone once told me to visit a little place called Hao Y, so we took a Taxi there and enjoyed a great Bruschetta as a starter but the Pizza was not as amazing as Enzo had let me to believe. There was no tomato sauce on it (we could only use the ketchup or chilli sauce that was provided with it).

Since this little Pizza was not as satisfying in size or taste we decided to check out the next Pizza place up the road.

Here it was the same story, no tomato sauce, but we opted for a larger Pizza this time and struggled to finish it.

I now know: do not eat Pizza in Vietnam. Stick to Pho!

Back at the Hotel I enjoyed a glass of Talisker and soaked in a hot (like properly Japanese hot) bath for a while before heading to my unbelievably comfortable bed for a great night's of sleep.

Exploring Cat Ba

We deserved a bit of a lie-in after the last couple of days, getting up early and travelling so we had agreed the day before to only meet up at 10 with the Australian girls (Paige and Heather) to go on scooter ride around the island. We were a bit late but luckily so were they, which enabled us to still have a bit of breakfast before setting off.

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.