Got up at 6am to watch the sunrise on the top deck of the boat while everyone else sleeped in. It was very peaceful this morning and I had some time to myself to reflect on my journey.
Others slowy got up around 7:30 for breakfast as the boat took off for Cat Ba Island.
Left everyone and met up with Brian and brother to go on a short hike in the National Park. Tom our guide was great entertainment and him and I really bonded today.
The hike was really sketchy becuase it was wet, slippery and packed with people on a small jungle path. At the top there was a old war lookout tower that was really rusty and a sign that says max 5 people at a time. We took turns going up it and I went up trying not to get stung by enormous wasps at the top. My hands were shaking as I took pics because the tower was so high.
Tom and I hiked back down the hill me teaching him English words and him teaching me some Vietnam history. Returned to the hotel, had lunch and then went on a boat to monkey island. It was more like a nice beach with a few monkeys that were constantly trying to steal your belongings. It was cool though to finally be on a beach where we could swim and hang out.
Had dinner back in town and went to the waterfront to take in the city. Tom took us around the corner to a bar where we all hung out and mingled with other back packers.
One interesting thing I noticed about this island is that there are tons of groups of guys, some holding hands. This struck me as odd becuase I did not see any local woman on the streets, but I have later learned that this is normal behavior for vietnamese men. Played pool for a while, got some late night food and returned to bed around 2am.
Looks Amazing! Funny you being afraid of heights
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