We'd planned to travel from Ninh Binh straight through to Ha Long City but a conversation with another traveler lead us to add Haiphong to our itinerary; before we even arrived we decided to skip the city and head out to Cat Ba Island for a few days of relaxation. We arrived early evening and watched the sun set over the bay from our waterfront hotel.
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| Fishing boats in the bay at Cat Ba Town. |
We awoke the next morning ready to hit the beach to find the harbour empty of boats and the town deserted. The owner of the hotel was busy boarding up the ground floor doors and windows and bringing in all the tables from outside. He eventually informed us that there was a big typhoon coming and we'd already missed the last boat leaving the island. Typhoon Kalmaegi ('seagull' in Korean) had already hit the Philippines, Hong Kong and southern China. Throughout the day a tannoy announced the imminent danger and warned people to stay indoors.
The winds got stronger and stronger and by 6pm the electricity to the island went out. We were safe and warm in our hotel with a stash of typhoon survival essentials: chocolate biscuits and crisps. By about 9pm there was water flowing down the stairs to our floor like a waterfall, water was running down the walls and coming in through the windows in our room. We pushed our bed as far away from the windows as possible and tried to ignore the ominous creeks and crashes going on around us.
The next morning the worst was over and we ventured out to survey the damage. There were a few fallen signs and the odd cracked window, branches and leaves covered the street and sea was wild. Fortunately nobody on the island was hurt and the locals seemed to have prepared for it really well.
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| The promenade along the bay. |
The three beaches were strewn with debris and missing a lot of sand following the typhoon, and the sea was too rough to swim in, but the walks around the karst cliffs and up the mountains to Canon Fort were lovely.
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| Karst scenery of Lan Ha Bay. |
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| Viewpoint overlooking the bay after hiking 177m up to Canon Fort. |
From Cat Ba Island we were able to do a boat trip to Ha Long Bay, so we didn't have to go to Ha Long City at all. The day was spent cruising slowly through the magnificent scenery of Lan Ha Bay and Ha Long Bay, on an old junk boat. When we weren't sunning ourselves no sun loungers on the top deck we stopped to kayak through caves and arches that have been carved out of the limestone karsts by the ocean. We jumped off the boat and swam in secluded lagoons and explored isolated sandy beaches. The water was clear turquoise and we saw some interesting wildlife both above and below the water.
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| Kayaking in Lan Ha Bay. |
The typhoon had brought in a lot of litter and debris from the ocean, although I'm told Ha Long Bay is littered even at the best of times, so we did our part and filled our kayak with floating bottles and plastic bags that we'd fished out of the water. Our guide didn't seem to impressed with our conservation efforts however, and I have a feeling that the rubbish might have been thrown back overboard when we weren't looking!
We even stopped to explore an ancient grotto that was once used by hunters to shelter from storms. Inside archaeologists found human and animal remains, as well as fossilised sea mollusks. The stalagmites and stalactites inside where amazing.
How To Get To...
Cat Ba Island: There are multiple boats going to and from the island throughout the day from Ben Binh pier in Haiphong. The speed boat and bus combination costs 150,000VND/$7.50 and the hydrofoil that drops you directly in Cat Ba Town costs 220,000VND.$11. Only ever buy tickets from the ticket counter at the pier as agents and touts in Haiphong will rip you off, this happened to us and every other tourist we spoke to!
Ha Long Bay: We booked a trip with Cat Ba Ventures in Cat Ba Town. The day trip cost $31/£18.60 per person. The guide spoke excellent English and was very well informed on the area.
We Stayed At...
My Ngoc Hotel, on the water front. The room was huge, the view was amazing. It cost $10/£6 per night. The restaurant wasn't very good.
