276. | Cat Ba and the center of the world

I’ve been waiting for this day.

Or days? Now I’m still saying, “who knows?”

I decided to write this post while I was on the road.

Because I’m finally on my way to Cat Ba Island.

The wait

I would have liked to have been on this road days earlier, but it turned out that I had an exceptionally high workload in the past few days.

I was tempted by the idea of setting off despite this, but the temptation was not enough now. Besides, it had been raining for days. Every night, and often during the day. And when it rains here, it rains a lot.

At night, the rain makes an incredible noise on the roof. I am lucky because it doesn’t bother me, but I really like to listen to it. During the day, it is nice to watch the rain pour from the sky and the water flow on the streets.

But no matter how beautiful the sight is and how much I enjoy hearing it, I only want to be in it in exceptional cases.

So I waited patiently for Saturday.

I got up. I had breakfast. I extended my stay at the hostel for the third time. I got a compliment one day because the girl at the reception said she had just noticed that my beautiful eyes were completely blue. It had been quite warm this morning, that must have been the only reason I almost melted…

She asked me what my plans were for today. I told her it was a wonderful day to ride a motorbike. We’ll see if she’s right. She said yes, it’s beautiful now, but it’s going to be hell at noon.

Get on a motorbike!

I got a recommendation for a good place where you can rent a motorbike at a fair price, and the owner is very nice.

I was not disappointed. She was very nice and spoke good English. She asked where I was from. When I told her I was from Hungary, she replied: “Oh, Hungary, the land of roses!”

I had never heard that before. I didn’t want to question or refute her idea.

But I was curious why she said that. The answer is not clear. Either she knows this based on a simple misinformation, because in Asia countries are often associated with flowers. Or she simply confused the country with Bulgaria, which is often called the “land of roses.”

Anyway. I’m here for my own dreams, not to destroy others’.

Silence is golden.

And sometimes it pays off. When I asked how much the motorbike cost, she replied: “120,000, but 100,000 for you, because I like flowers.”

Maybe from now on I will think of Hungary as the land of roses too?

On the path of butterflies

I set off towards the northern port of the island. Cat Ba is in the south, so I had to travel across the entire island. To give you an idea of the distance: this is 20+ kilometers by motorbike.

An incredibly good quality road has already welcomed me. The little red Honda (120 cc) that I was given is a very reliable vehicle. As a result of these two facts, I had almost nothing to do while driving slowly, but to admire the incredible view.

I was driving between huge rocks covered in green. I just stared at the giants. With a wide smile on my face. I enjoyed the way the wind caught my clothes and caressed my face.

And then I saw the butterflies!

I could admire them for long, long kilometers while riding my motorbike. To tell the truth, I had never seen butterflies flying en masse before.

I discovered the patterns they followed when flying. They were moving in rows. Interestingly, they were all heading towards the city I had just come from.

The chaos they were dominating the space above the road seemed orderly to me. They were moving forward with effortless elegance, yet purposeful.

I tried my best not to harm them. To be honest, dodging butterflies while riding a motorbike is a completely different dimension than fighting potholes.

When I saw a 10-meter-long line of them flying towards me in a huge S-shape, my breath caught. For some reason, this moment happened in such a way that I arrived in perfect synchrony in this S-shape: as the huge line surrounded me, I had no choice. I laughed out loud. It was an unforgettable moment.

Most of the butterflies were white. Simple, unadorned, light creatures. I saw a few huge black ones among them and a red one. So I wasn’t the only stranger in the crowd.

When I thought about how nice it would be to fly over the road with them, the idea suddenly occurred to me. But that’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m flying among butterflies.

After all, I’m a butterfly myself. I’ve written about that before.

It was amazing!

Cat Ba North Harbor

I arrived at the North Harbor.

It was a huge sight.

Here too, the view is framed by huge rocks. Everything is incredibly green. The peaceful harmony of nature welcomed me here.

The sea was very peaceful. Large ships were resting in one half of the harbor, while the other half was more of a harbor for smaller boats.

I saw a few small boats moving on the water. Exactly as this scene is usually depicted in movies or books.

One man was steering the boat. The other stood in the bow of the boat, looking ahead. With that Vietnamese hat on his head, which I think is iconic no matter where you look at it.

This sight is beautiful even in a movie, but I felt an immense gratitude in my heart that I could now see it with my own eyes!

I arrived at low tide. This gave me the opportunity to walk on the land of the receding sea and see what was otherwise hidden.

The crabs

In addition to the incredible amount of shells, I was able to observe a lot of tiny crabs.

It is incredible how fearless these little guys are. At the slightest movement, they immediately hide back in their little holes dug in the sand. And do this very quickly! They move at an incredible speed.

That is why I waited motionless for them to come out into the sunlight. I saw many tiny crabs, and quite a few larger ones, up to 5 cm. My favorite is the one with a huge pair of scissors on its right leg and only a tiny one on the other.

I also discovered the remains of larger crabs, up to the size of the palm of my hand.

My nature diver self really enjoyed this little look.

Finally, I sat down on the beach and simply enjoyed the sunshine, the softness of the sea breeze, the smell of the sea and the incredible view.

I spent half an hour where normally, when you get on the ferry, you would only have minutes to see something.

Coffee in Italy

On the way back, I saw a sign. Sam’s cafe.

I stopped to have a coffee, but I had to discover that only the sign existed. Neither Sam nor the cafe was in sight. But at least I had a walk in the incredibly humid jungle.

I had no reason to despair this time either. A little further away, I sat down in a street cafe in a small village.

I drank an incredibly delicious and tastefully prepared coffee, along with my favorite watermelon juice. I wrote this post so far.

While writing, I stopped several times and admired the peaceful harmony that this small village shows in the shadow of the huge rocks.

The layout of the building, the peace and harmony somehow reminded me of being in Italy. That’s where I experienced this peace for the first time.

For some reason, I find it difficult to leave this peaceful silence here. But the journey continues.

My bike is waiting.

Cat Ba West Port

Sitting on the motorbike, I was suddenly overwhelmed by a cavalcade of emotions.

The wind caressed my face, while the wind tore at my body. The air hugged me warmly, but the sun burned and scratched my skin. The air was cool at the same time because of the moderate pace, while the heat of the enormous humidity almost pounded me into the ground.

My sense of smell also rode on this wave of feeling to surf. One moment I was still riding in a cloud of naturally concentrated and magnificent flowers. The next minute, the artificial freshness of freshly washed clothes awaited me in a small village.

This duality of emotions released incredible energies in me.

That was when I first thought that the receptionist was wrong.

This is not hell. This is heaven itself.

They were perfect moments.

I realized that I love this island. Everywhere I looked, I thought I saw the hut where I would spend my old days.

A perfect place.

So, feeling refreshed, I arrived on the road that I had already seen once on my first day here.

Sitting on a motorbike, the road was a little different, it showed me much more of itself. I stopped often to take pictures.

The sea water (not sure if it was the sea!) stands in small parcels on both sides of the road. On one side, huge rocks frame this road, on the other, the infinity of the sea.

I feel like this is a day of dualities.

Motorcycling and flying. Italy and Vietnam. Dual feelings. A mass of rocks and infinity.

What else can come next?

First of all, a good lunch on a cool terrace. Red Bull in a Vietnamese can, made in Thailand. I think with the knowledge of the Austrian owner.

It is half past two. I leave the familiar port behind me.

The island is waiting.

Let the mystery remain a mystery!

Leaving the restaurant, I stopped by the water plots.

My intention was to find out if the water was salty or sweet.

I thought I would lick it and then it would be revealed. As I got closer to the water, I realized that my common sense could not lose to curiosity.

Seeing the water and its shore up close helped me a lot in my decision. The goat and cow shit covering everything did not strengthen my intention to lick it.

I think my life is better without a dysentery experience.

This mystery will probably remain a mystery forever.

But at least I was able to spend an unforgettable quarter of an hour sitting with my back against the wall of a small ruined house.

The view that the island presented to me today is indescribable.

I spent the quiet minutes solving other mysteries. I tried to figure out what the story of the nail lying next to the old door might be. Or the abandoned key lying not far from it.

I couldn’t figure it out. Instead, I put them next to each other. Let others think about it too!

Palm Grove

I didn’t get far from here.

I noticed a small road leading to the sea, so a minute later I parked at a slightly hidden spot on the beach.

I spent an hour here.

I walked along the beach and looked at the sandy, brown waves. The 3 locals swimming in the sea far away. And the huge cargo ships sailing one after the other in the distance.

I studied the little crabs again. I walked a little further from the shore.

That’s when I discovered the small palm grove.

I immediately felt that I wanted to go there. I set off.

Then suddenly a thin strip of sea blocked my path. It was wide enough that I simply couldn’t cross it.

So I made a detour so that I could get to the other side with dry feet. My shoes are already in pretty bad shape, and they are pretty clean now, and I didn’t want to change that.

I reached the place where I planned to cross the river on dry land, through an exciting stretch of sand, dotted with rocks and crab holes, which was a bit wet even at low tide.

Here it turned out that the sand was wet enough to swallow my feet, so I turned back. Following my own footprints, I returned to where I started from.

In the meantime, a thought occurred to me. Why don’t I cross the small body of water barefoot? Often the easiest solution comes to mind last. LOL.

A closer examination of the water convinced me that I didn’t want to cross this water barefoot. The many – sharp – shells were not very friendly. Now that the wound on my hand from the zombie fight had healed nicely, I really didn’t need another one on my sole.

Then I saw a plank. I built a bridge over the small body of water. Well, okay. That’s a poetic exaggeration. I carried it to the water and elegantly threw it into the middle.

Of course, after that, the dry-foot crossing didn’t work. The bridge was short. Or the water was wide. Whatever. But the palm trees were so inviting, I had to go.

So finally – in wet shoes and socks – I stood there under the palm trees. Or rather, I sat.

It was very romantic. For a while, I could imagine myself as Robinson Crusoe again. I felt like I had been thrown onto a deserted island. Just the sea, the palm trees and me.

And then there was the lot of trash on the sand.

Suddenly, I noticed an interesting object. That’s how I started photographing objects washed up on the shore.

I saw a lot of bottles with shells on them. I realized that all the bottles here were closed. This is how well-meaning people throw their messages written on invisible paper into the sea with invisible ink. So that they can definitely reach their destination.

I found and photographed a lot of interesting things. I managed to create a rather impressive collection of images of treasures washed ashore.

It’s an exciting sport, I think I’ll practice it again.

On the way back, I washed my shoes again, waved goodbye to my little bridge and the hidden stretch of beach.

Resting at a lookout

Today I had a very slow ride.

A few kilometers away I stopped at a beautiful lookout.

I dried my shoes and socks. I listened to some music.

Then I noticed how tempting the beautiful marble floor was. So I lay down on it and slept for a peaceful half hour.

Sunset

After a restful sleep, I jumped on the motorbike and arrived here after 3 more long kilometers.

A small restaurant-like place. Here I wait for the Sun to show me how beautiful it is when it disappears.

Here I finished the third of the five books in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy trilogy. Since I mixed up the books, I read the third one after the fourth one. I think the order is as random as life.

From here I’m just going home to continue exploring the island tomorrow.

Hike in the forests of Cat Ba

A beautiful sunny morning awaited me on Sunday.

I woke up a little late (9 am). Breakfast is available until 9:30 am, so I quickly got over it.

I had an urgent webshop problem waiting for me since the evening. It took me 45 minutes to solve it.

So I started today’s hike a little late.

But time is the least important thing today.

The island was waiting.

I didn’t resist.

Electric motorbike

A new friend of mine recommended an electric motorbike.

I definitely wanted to try it.

The other reason I chose this type today is that I planned to do less road traffic and more walking today.

I rented one at the place I visited yesterday and set off on my journey today.

An electric motorbike is another dimension of travel.

It doesn’t go faster than 40 km/h. On mountain roads, twenty is good.

And it’s silent. This and the low speed allow for a different kind of presence. The motorbike also just shows: time is not important today.

Cat Ba National Park

My first goal was the National Park.

I had already passed by its entrance yesterday, but I had other goals then.

The park offers two hiking routes. A short one and a long one.

Of course I wanted to do the long one. But I found out that it takes 4 hours there and 4 hours back. So I quickly changed my plan.

The hike begins immediately after leaving the park entrance. So all I can say about the park itself is that it is nicely furnished for its age. It is obvious that it is cared for and maintained with love. It is exactly 40 years old, so there was time to find the right place for everything.

After a few hundred meters, I discovered a once beautiful accommodation complex. Cute bamboo houses were lined up around a small artificial lake that had seen better days.

I looked at them. Each one had the equipment, but some had already had their roofs blown in. It was as if everyone had suddenly left on a sad Tuesday.

I found two bars, the prices there showed that the place must have been abandoned for years.

I liked it anyway. I walked around thoroughly before starting the real tour.

Ngu Lam Peak

Climbing this mountain was a real challenge.

It’s not that hard, but I had to hold on until I reached the top in 45 minutes.

Now I’m here, enjoying the silence and solitude. Since I’ve been here (about half an hour ago), no one else has come up here.

A little further down there is a lookout point with a small building. I hear everyone else only came up until that point.

On the other hand, a beautiful spider came up with me, and here I noticed that it was playing stowaway on my backpack. I also met a blue lizard and a huge blue butterfly all up here.

When I sat down, my mouth was shut at first, because it simply remained open from the sight. This peak rises in the middle of a valley. And all around me are peaks of the same height as this peak. 360 degrees.

I feel a bit like I’m sitting in the middle of the world.

There’s nothing here, “only” the view. But it’s incredible.

I immediately decided that I just wanted to enjoy the sound of the wind, the noise of the insects, the singing of the birds. And I wanted to drink the view. Quietly but generously.

A few minutes after I sat down, I read the text on the big sign next to me. I smiled. It advised me exactly what I did.

Finally, a couple arrived at the top. We chatted for a bit. Then it was time to leave, because I was super hungry.

The way back was easier, although not easy. Those few kilometers really worked my legs. I like the feeling when my muscles tremble from the strain. It’s true, it’s not that fun to walk down the stairs on legs that aren’t completely stable. But that’s part of the game.

I remembered what it was like to climb mountains in Indonesia and Thailand. And a few times, what it was like in Hungary and Austria.

Every mountain is different. Every mountain is beautiful. I am so glad I got to know this mountain today.

Trung Trang Cave

However, this cave is definitely not a question for me.

I have seen many beautiful caves, but this one is definitely among the most beautiful for me.

At the entrance, they wrote that this is one of the most important caves in the world for observing and preserving bats. In fact! They also wrote that I should be proud to be one of the few who can see this unique cave.

Whatever these words mean, the cave was beautiful.

There was only one narrow path leading through it. In many places it was so low that you almost had to crouch down.

I saw very beautiful stalactite forms. And what perhaps made this cave stand out from the other caves I have seen was the lighting.

This was the first cave in my life where I finally managed to take nice pictures. In my opinion, the most important thing in cave photography is the light. Here, somehow, everything was set up well.

I was able to photograph not only beautiful stones and shapes, but also ferns. The place was special because it had plants in it.

Then there was the water. It was dripping in several places, honestly, I haven’t seen that in many places.

Finally, the bats. I’ve seen groups hanging from the ceiling before. But now they were only a few meters above my head. They were huge. Plus, one of the big ones was constantly circling around my head.

It was nice to watch and listen to them. You just had to endure the smell of guano.

The sign was right. It really was a special cave.