We've now spent a few nights in Ho Chi Minh City, with time to explore but also relax and realise our plans over the coming weeks and months.
On Tuesday we started with breakfast overlooking the city from our rooftop, then set out to explore Saigon for the day; visiting the market, Cathedral, Post Office (it's an impressive building!), City Hall, Opera House and last of all to the War Remnants Museum. The museum has a highly thought provoking exhibition of photos taken by combat journalists during the war, up close to the soldiers and civilians, some with a retrospective narrative describing the moments after the photograph where they heard the gunshot or witnessed the beheading. I still don't know too much about the Vietnam War, but learning about the facts and figures was shocking, especially knowing it wasn't that long ago. The most profound was the ongoing effects of Agent Orange and thousands of unexploded bombs, claiming the lives and health of thousands and thousands of innocent people even generations down the line. When will the human race learn?
After a heavy afternoon, we decided to try out a Sivananda Yoga session downtown, which is an interesting practice emphasising proper breathing, relaxation and positive thinking. The teacher was impressively leading the class in both Vietnamese and English, with a Sanskrit chant, strange breathing techniques blocking alternate nostrils, then generic bending the body into impossible positions. It was Megan's only Yoga lesson since we first tried out a class in Bali five years ago (when we were giggling the whole way through), but we both really enjoyed the experience!
Yesterday I was up and awake at 6.30am for some bizarre reason (this is usually an unearthly hour to me), so I decided to go for a stroll across the park. As the sun grew against the skyscrapers there was already a great atmosphere, with locals beginning there day with badminton, tai chi or the elders favourite at the outdoor gym. As I wondered around I found the best smoothie man in Vietnam, donning a delicious avocado, mango and dragon fruit delight which was heavenly! It was the perfect treat before a beautiful breakfast of soy sauce, banana and scrambled egg baguette. Try it.
The rest of the day was spent catching up on life, a phô bò lunch break, then planning our next move. We somehow made the spontaneous decision to head back up north to Cat Ba, as unfortunately the weather forecast for Phu Quoc Island was looking dismal. Within half an hour our flight was booked, our hostel was chosen and we were ready for a new adventure.
We nabbed a free noodle dinner at our hostel, then went from $1 backpackers to dolled up millionaires (ahem) for a cocktail at Bitexco Sky bar, overlooking the river and city lights. We managed to spot our hostel, the tai chi park, Saigon Opera House, City Hall, the cathedral and post office etc from our earlier walking tour which was pretty cool.
Then back to the hostel to be cheap backpackers again for free beers and Irish snap, before heading out for a boogie with our fellow cheap backpacker camp mates.
It's time to pack up now and grab another top notch smoothie before our flight to Hai Phong, ready to enjoy our last few days before the world of work!
Day 122 - Monday 10th October 7:34am
We made it to Cat Ba! And we love it!
We flew from Saigon to Hai phong and found a cute old hotel to rest our heads (and watch Star Movies) before our early morning scenic boat journey to Cat Ba Island.
We arrived to fresh fruit and yogurt, lugging our bags up the hill to our chosen guesthouse and being greeted by the sweetest Vietnamese family and their baby.
We knew it was immediately time to soak some sun rays so we hopped on a motorbike to Cat Co II beach - white sand, calm sea and everything I didn't expect from Cat Ba!
In the evening we headed out for Vietnamese chicken curry and free local beer, treating ourselves to no alarm clock for the next morning.
That weekend we powered straight to the beach again for swimming and sunbathing, with a view of the limestone cliffs surrounding us. Fresh coconut in one hand and a book in the other. It's quite a nice walk to the beach and we've been coming back to see the sun set over the boats in the harbour too which looks beautiful.
In the evening we joined the family dinner at our guesthouse with some others from Holland, sharing traditional Vietnamese dishes of chicken, tofu, spring rolls and beer.
Last night we made the trek up to Canon Fort for sunset too; braving the steep uphill path in flip flops, a sarong and wet bikini was not the easiest... But we made it just in time to watch the sun setting, burning bright orange in the hazy sky and reflecting into the harbour below.
Then it was time to be a responsible adult and prepare for a teaching job in Hanoi, sorting out my mess of a CV and thinking carefully about my next steps out in the big wide world.
Today we've got a boat trip booked around the craggy island cliffs of Lan Ha Bay, so I better get a move on!
Day 123 - Tuesday 11th October 12.46pm
Yesterday's boat trip turned out to be a fantastic day! Imagine kayaking through the emerald waters through limestone caves and towering cliffs brushed with green jungle, taking a dip with the darting fish to swim to a solo stretch of sand, and witnessing your first floating cloud since arriving in Cat Ba. Lunch was a brilliant buffet of more fresh Vietnamese dishes - plenty of tofu, noodles and spring rolls. We got chatting to some people from Ecuador, inspiring us for some far off future trip there (one day) then had some time to read on the deck with a sea breeze easing the Suns warmth. We sailed through floating wooden villages and fisherman with their daily catch, then stopped off at Monkey Island for a random rock climbing expedition on the jagged (bloody steep and bloody sharp) limestone wall, catching our breath for a brilliant view over the island and across the bay. After our sweaty climb it was time to fulfil a lifelong dream - sipping a coconut on a desert island with white sand and the sparkly sea at my feet.
Exhausted after a day of paddling, swimming and climbing, that evening we headed to the harbour for a Oreo and banana milkshake to fuel me for another stretch of CV sorting.
This morning we decided to stop being pansies and do what every other backpacker does - try out a motorbike. We hyped ourselves up on everything we could do if we just got on one and rode, the adventures we could have and the remote places we could explore... Butttt after two minutes I don't think we'll be revving another engine anytime soon! Accepting our fate, we began our walk back on the beach. It was particularly peaceful today with only a handful of people. Time to use our last drips of suncream and enjoy the waves before our city life begins.
5.07pm
Somehow managed to blag a ride home in a golf buggy, best mode of transport yet!
10.12pm
Sacked off cocktails for a Mars Bar and Star Movies. No wonder I'm getting old...
Day 124 - Wednesday 12th October 12.32pm
We've spent six marvellous days in Cat Ba, the best last minute decision we've made, coming for the short stretch of brilliant blue skies and only spotting one cloud in our time here. I hadn't really thought much of Cat Ba previously, but I have really enjoyed the relaxed vibe, beautiful quiet beach and night time atmosphere along the harbour front. We are currently waiting for our bus-boat-bus, with a power-cut throughout the town for the last hour or so, ready to be shipped back to the busting streets of Hanoi, for a new adventure living in the city.
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