Kayaking Through the Karsts

So after a very quick, and total surprise, visit to the UK for a family party, we have moved onto Vietnam, Even on arrival you get the sense that South East Asia will be different as just arriving at the airport, going through immigration, and getting a taxi to the Airbnb was slick and easy.

We arrived in Hanoi with the threat of a typhoon, which fortunately did not arrive in the city itself, so we were still able to enjoy the city. It is an interesting place with a mix of a modern city and the old Vietnamese way of life, with some of the old French colonial charm thrown in. It’s quite a walkable city once you get used to the thousands of mopeds everywhere; and compared to India the driving is relatively civilised.

The city centre is a mix of temples and pagodas set amongst the myriad of shops, selling everything from clothes to sellotape, and restaurants. Food is at the centre of Vietnamese life and we went on a walking tour to experience it. Pho, pronounced “fur”, is the staple and is noodles with meat or vegetables. Spring rolls, fried eels, minced beef in broth are all some of the things we tried with our tour guide, Tuan. There is also Vietnamese coffee which is usually served with ice and condensed milk; or the egg coffee which is a layer of cream over the layer of coffee, with a layer of whipped egg yolk on top, which was slightly too sickly for our tastes.

Our time in Hanoi was split in two phases. In the second phase the highlight was a moped tour of the city. Sitting pillion to the two guides, Tuan, again, and Kwang, we saw all sorts of sites, from temples and pagodas to the building in the French Quarter where the uprising against French rule started, and where bullet holes still remain in the railings outside. The Temple of Literature was perhaps the most beautiful of all the temples we saw, with its influence on education still remaining today after its construction in 1070.

Vietnamese is a Communist country, and was founded after Ho Chi Minh fought first the French, then the Americans, and who finally united the north and south in 1961. The complex where he lived, worked and still remains in embalmed form is interesting for a visit. It also explains how a cult of one man can define a nation, but once you go outside, you quickly see that Vietnamese are their own people and just want to go about making a living like everybody else, despite how their country is run.

After the busy time in Hanoi, we took a bus to Cat Ba Island to the east. We arrived in Cat Ba Town, which was a bit like a cross between Blackpool and Padstow, and we loved it. We got up the nerve and hired mopeds for the day. This proved a great experience as we toured the island, at a “Driving Miss Daisy” pace, looking at caves and forts and getting great views.

We then took ourself off for two days of adventure. With our guide, Ming, we trekked through the National Park. This started as a walk along a concrete path, but eventually became a proper climb up and down rocks on unmarked paths through the jungle. This was one of the toughest things we’ve done as it was 30 degrees and 90% humidity; and we were drenched by the end. Fortunately, we ended the day by getting a bicycle and a ferry to an island with lovely beach huts for the night.

The second day exceeded our expectations as we went out kayaking with Ming. This area is famous for its limestone rocks which come out of the sea and are covered in jungle. Kayaking around these “karsts” was magical as we had come away from the tourist area of Halong Bay, and were kayaking with almost nobody around us on flat water. We passed whole floating villages where people lived and farmed for clams, crabs and fish. The loveliest area was kayaking under an archway and ending up in a lagoon by ourselves in the sun. After this, we sat on the beach under a cabana contemplating our next stop in Vietnam, Sapa.