Addendum Ha Long Bay

As Stevies meteorosensitive spider-finger told us that the next days the weather was going to be fine in Ha Long Bay we grabbed our backpacks Tuesday morning and headed off to Ha Long Bay. The beginning of the journey was quite an endurance test for my anger coping strategies as the two ascetic monks I'm traveling with refused to pay (converted) 20 cent for the bus and preferred to walk 3 quarters of an hour in broad sunlight alongside a traffic artery with 25kg of luggage on our backs, watching 17 buses passing by that we could have taken preferring to eat the dust of their tires...
Sorry that I couldn't take photos of this great walk, but I couldn't see with all that blood in my eyes.
But what built me up again was that probably not many tourists made it to this particular bus station, as the driver gave a dazzling look at my camping mat tied to my backpack calzone-style and asked me what this is...

The way to Ha Long continued to be a pain in the ass, with a guy sitting next to me exploring his oral and nasal cavities with all his fingers and knuckles while staring at me from the side intently, and with a scenery looking most of the 3h-journey like the Vietnamese Burgenland, wouldn't in the rice fields be sparsely floating Pagoda hats like molehills. But the views we got at Ha Long Bay compensated us for all these troubles...


GI Joe and Pepperoni Pete cracking up



The album of Ha Long, infamous for the shooting of James Bonds Man with the Golden Colt, here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephan_mittas/sets/72157608532050049/

A big part of our stay in Ha Long Bay we spent on Cat Ba island, a lost paradise whose heartland is almost unaffected by the mass tourism which infests Ha Long Bay.





We had jungle trip with a great guide who neatly explained the dangers and benefits of the flora and fauna. For example, he eased Pez' fear of the "toedlicher Zitronengiftfalter". Or he told us not to get in touch with a certain kind of plant because of its itchiness. Unfortunately not before a few minutes after I had it in my mouth (don't ask why, long story). He even offered us some water (in which he was soaking his socks a few moments before) to wash our hands in before lunch. Stevie gratefully accepted :))



As always, the full album to see on: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephan_mittas/sets/72157608537152529/

Till next time, tada