Saturday 25th February

All Aboard the Junk........The day dawns its usual misty grey. I call at the bakery just 100 metres right from Duc Tuan Hotel. A meat roll and coffee sets me up for the day. I settle up with Captain Jack and wait for the boat. The boat, actually small junk, arrives at the pier to my left. It’s soon on its way out of Cat Ba harbour with its crew of two minus Captain Jack. The party congregates on the roof of the junk offering better views of the harbour but it’s quite chilly just after 8 am. The countless rocky islands to the east of Cat Ba soon present themselves, some mere stacks as time and tide have eroded their base. The junk picks its way through as though traversing city streets. The first port of call is Monkey Island aptly named after its residents who showing no fear are in boisterous mood. The sandy beach, one of just a few, is the jumping off point and the day-trippers get to ‘walking the plank’. By 10.30 am the boat is again heading through the island chain. Fishing villages soon appear, actually floating communities that farm shellfish. We alight at one of the larger rafts where some of the party take to kayaking, the rest gazing at the curious array of sea creature that are suspended in nets below. Despite the overcast conditions the water is an iridescent green colour indicating deep water below. One of the party, an Aussie dives of the side of the boat into the clear but not so warm water to be hauled out later to the amusement of the crew. As the boat departs the raft I smell cooking. No 2, wok at the ready, is busily preparing lunch in the galley. He soon appears with an assortment of local fare; fried fish with herbs in a tomato sauce, pork with vegetable, fried tofu, fried beansprouts and cabbage. These are all eagerly consumed.
Halong Bay........Now into the afternoon session we enter Halong Bay recently voted one of the new 7 wonders of nature. The view is certain magnificent as a gaze at some rock formations. The scene in the old classic Jason and the Argonauts comes into mind with the ‘clashing rocks’. I hope not. Now the various craft (junks) appear in all shapes and sizes many offering overnight accommodation. They are a curiosity in themselves, an icon for the tourist industry here, while many regard them as objects that detract from the natural wonder of this place: However it is certainly a popular pastime and not to be missed. The junk heads into one of the most congested areas of Halong Bay. This is to deposit their occupants at Hang Sung Sot Cave, a natural wonder in itself. Visitors are invited to walk through the cave complex for a fee and return to their boats which, having offloaded passengers move to a parking area. (Cont. on Page 6)