Easy Rider

On the 2nd day of our tour, our pirate ship landed on Cat Ba Island, the largest island in the Ha Long Bay archipelago. After spending the morning hiking to the lookout tower, we checked into our hotel, cleaned up, then set out to explore the rest island.


View Cát Bà in a larger map

Outside of our hotel, there are many hawkers who do scooter rentals. After some friendly negotiation, we were able to rent two scooters for 13,000 dong (that's like $7 dollars!)



We scooted along a winding coastal road that was simply amazing. To our left side was the wide open expanse of the Pacific Ocean, the blue sea stretching all the way to the horizon. The road in front of us was clear except for a mother goat and her babies that rested in the shade. To our right, we passed by farmers stooped over tending to their rice paddies. The forested green hills were the background to fish ponds separated by earthen dikes with tiny wooden huts built atop to provide shelter for workers. The Cat Ba countryside was really incredible.



I wish we had more pictures to share with you, but our camera died and all we have are these videos. Enjoy!