Perhaps a bit worried about today’s travel, I sort of woke up at 4:45 AM but didn’t actually get up until 6:40 AM. Despite some internal debate about whether or not I should actually be moving on from Ninh Binh, I finished packing and getting ready to head out the door. My time here had been good, both at the hotel itself and also at Tam Coc in general, but I also reasoned that other parts of northern Vietnam would also have much to offer.
At 7:30 AM I sat down for my last breakfast at the homestay. I stuck to the routine: fried egg with bread, a banana and mango juice, and of course, the milk coffee.
I just hung out there enjoying the morning quiet until 8:35 AM, when I walked the short distance up to the main road to wait for my pick-up. As my homestay was down a rather narrow street, the driver had texted me the day before to request that I meet the transport there rather than right at the entrance to my lodging.
The Journey to Cat Ba
At 8:50 AM I was picked up by the Cat Ba Express, which I had booked before coming to Vietnam for $13.39 USD. The ride was expected to take about 5 hours. It was a standard Pullman bus; it was perfectly fine for this distance, though by 10:58 AM I noted that while comfortable, they were keeping the cabin a bit warmer than I would have liked. As often happens while travelling, I was stuck how much of the countryside scenery could have been from numerous other places I have been around the world.
We made a 20-minute rest stop at 11:10 AM. I noticed that the shop here had something that looked very much like tamales. I didn’t try one, but I made a mental note to ask about that later. In case you are wondering, I never did ask, so if you know, I would be happy to know what they are.
At 11:30 AM sharp we were back in the bus and continuing on our way.
The Ferry Crossing
At 12:26 PM the driver stopped at what looked like a ticket counter. I thought to myself, “Are they going to drive this entire full-sized bus onto a ferry?” The answer was yes, and by 12:40 PM, that’s exactly what had happened.
The ferry itself seemed to move very slowly across the extremely calm water. The distance is quite short, and my inner engineer started debating why they haven’t built a bridge yet. It seems like it would make more sense, but maybe that’s way more expensive/complicated than I realize. Perhaps the water is too deep? On a positive note, I checked the snacks and drinks sold on the ferry and they seemed very reasonably priced, which surprised me for a captive audience situation.
We drove off the ferry at 1:03 PM. The whole process had been quite comfortable, and my first impression of the island was that it really was beautiful. I was already thinking I might stay here a couple more days, but only time would tell. I also noted that the island was much larger than I had originally understood, with lots of small limestone islands off the coast. The road we were on (1:22 PM) was very high quality. We stopped briefly for gas at 1:27 PM and were on our way again by 1:34 PM. So far, everywhere looked very nice.
Arrival and The “New” Hotel
I got off the bus at 1:42 PM and walked the short distance to my hotel. I was in the room by 1:53 PM, but it took a bit longer than expected to find it because they had changed the name. I had booked it (4151 INR or $45.26 USD for 4 nights on Agoda) as MB Central Hotel, but it is now called Oriio Hotel. Just a heads-up for anyone following in my footsteps! It was objectively a bit nicer than my homestay in Tam Coc, but both had doubtless been great bargains.
At 2:37 PM I departed from the hotel to sort out my logistics for the next day.
First things first: at 3:04 PM I paid 946,000 VND ($37.00 USD) via Moreta for tomorrow’s trip with Cat Ba Ventures.
Then came the shopping. I needed beach gear, so I went on a bit of a spree, despite not actually spending all that much.
At 3:05 PM I paid 250,000 VND ($9.80 USD) for simple foam sliders and swim trunks. I know I paid too much, but it’s fine. Convenience has a price. Shortly thereafter, also in the general market area, I bought sun sleeves for 50,000 VND ($1.95 USD). Taking a bit longer to find, at 4:32 PM I bought spray sunblock for 180,000 VND ($7.05 USD) using Moreta. And then I finished up meager purchasing expedition at 4:46 PM when I paid 100,000 VND ($3.90 USD) for a simple towel. With the exception of the sunblock, all of my purchases had taken place via pointing, gestures, and bargaining via dueling prices shown on smartphone screens. Despite the relatively early hour, the day was clearly coming to an end, so I went back to the room to drop off my purchases.
Dinner at Bien Dong
I quickly dropped my purchases in the room, and immediately set out once more, this time primarily focused on finding a place to have dinner.
At 5:56 PM I finally stopped at a place called Nha Hang Hai San Bien Dong (Bien Dong Restaurant). I ordered water spinach (which I think was some sort of morning glory) with garlic, a Hanoi Beer, and fish in spicy sauce.
At 7:04 PM I paid the bill of 205,000 VND ($8.00 USD) via Moreta. It was an amazingly huge and delicious meal. I counted this as a win for the first night on the island. It was a leisurely walk from there, and I was back at the room by 7:29 PM, ready to rest up for the tour tomorrow.
Travels with Jay 