Saturday 25th February

(Cont. from Page 5).....Well its farewell to the entertaining Aussie lad and his lady who transfer to a boat heading for Halong City. This junk, however, is on its way back to Cat Ba town by the shortest route but still arrives a half hour late at 5.30 pm. My thoughts; an adventure not to be missed, I glad I came. As I have dinner, fried rice and spring rolls it’s again all about making plans for tomorrow. Presently that’s an open door.

Sunday 26th February

Decision Time……..Normally I try to keep my log up to date to avoid a backlog of work but that depends on circumstances. In the end it’s into the sixth day before I eventually make a report working entirely without notes; and it’s not due to lack of subject matter or opportunity. Speaking to several foreign tourists here they seem to be heading south probably to Ho Chi Minh City; that makes sense but I’ve no plans to travel that far as I intend to travel back to Thailand through Laos. The coastal cities do appear inviting but the weather forecast does not look good for the region. The other option is to travel inland where the climate is less affected by the coastal weather. I head for Sapa near the Chinese border. Sapa is a popular destination in North Vietnam on account of its spectacular scenery, terraced rice paddies and hill tribe villages, however a visit here requires one special ingredient: Good weather. The dice has been rolled.
Unfinished Business in Cat Ba Town……..I realized too late when I had the motorbike the significance of the 177 metre hill to the east of the town. The cannon fort is of interest to me. I have some time to kill but the climb to the summit will take a good hour. As I progress up the incline a small hut and barrier means I will have to pay an entry fee of 35.000 dong. As I reach the summit I begin to understand why the fort was built in 1942. Although it has three gun platforms for coastal defense its main function was as an observation point, an early warning system for any threat by sea to the inner bay. Today it still performs one of its original functions: That of observation. The observation platforms offer excellent views of Cat Ba Town and the islands to the east. It is possible to see Monkey Island and the cultured pearl farms which were on yesterday’s tour. (Cont. on Page 7)