Cat Ba, Vietnam

The bus ride there

(The bus to Cat Ba was full but no worries, thats what these little plastic stools are for. 4 hour bus riding coach in the middle lane)

Cat Ba is a beautiful more quiet alternative to Ha Long Bay, which is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Vietnam. Cat Ba is a large island and rests along side the famous islands and rock formations jutting out of the water in Ha Long Bay.

Cat Ba isn't the place to be for crazy parties or nice beaches, but the natural beauty, nice locals, national park, kayaking and rock climbing make it pretty awesome!

Kayaking

Kayaking around the rock formations gives a dreamlike feeling especially setting off with a small group of friends instead of a tour.

Landing on the random beaches to explore islands gave a strong sense of freedom and adventure.

For such a beautiful landscape there was an awful amount of trash washed up on the beaches :(

(Ben picking up trash on the beach)

Rock Climbing

I was so happy to find awesome climbing partners to rent gear and set out for Butterfly Valley.

(me posing)

I did the last climb of the day as the sun disappeared behind the mountain and the moon came out. 

First time climbing in the dark!

Eating

One of my favorite places to eat in Cat Ba was the bakery which sold giant egg sandwiches for only 15,000 dong! I ate at least 6 of them in the 3 days I was there. 

Currently I just arrived in Sapa this morning so I will fill everyone in on those adventures later!