F E L I N E R S

tabby & i went cycling around catba.. 20,000D for an hour ride.. which we found out later from kitty that we sort of got conned.. so, these are what we saw from the ride..


few doors away, there's this supposedly good seafood restaurant.. we were both very hungry.. and the portion was so big.. so both our tummies were smiling widely when we saw these..

we went to hang out at the waterfront of catba town for supper.. sugarcane drink.. passionfruit drink.. and shredded cuttlefish..

for breakfast.. i was having coffee nearby.. and this lady was selling kuihs.. i picked this one - ham sandwiched in between sticky rice.. for 10,000D.. it isn't tasty, to be honest..

gathered at this place called Noble House.. the ceiling boasts many pictures of rock climbers..

there's a tatami-like area for people to sit around.. this is where kitty used to sleep wey.. *gulp* anyway, we were waiting in there for the bus to arrive.. went on to pick other 'tourists'.. the bus ride took about what felt like, 15 minutes to the pier at halong bay..



reached the beach.. the beach that kitty helped with cleaning.. haha.. this is Onslo, the director of the rock climbing place.. briefing us on rock climbing.. they've prepared the gears for all of us..

i popped my rock climbing cherry!! my first route!! and kitty was my belayer.. heart made a loud *boop boop* sound.. i was so scared i could pee in my pants..






i can't quite figure out whether i like rock climbing or not.. i had the jitters before the climb.. and while putting on the harness, shoes and helmet, i was thinking to myself, "what am i doing??".. and while climbing, i remembered Onslo's words.. "breathe... breathe...!!" .. and when the whole ordeal ended, i couldn't feel my arms.. luckily the numbness took only a while to ease off.. all i did for the rest of the trip was Smile.. yay!! i wanna try climbing more!

the 1st room we stayed over in hanoi.. reached after 3.5 hours of flight.. took a minivan from the airport to a vietnam airlines office in the city.. it took about 40 minutes, i think? i sincerely dislike the way most of the locals deal with business.. i was told to pay only usd2 and only usd2 for the minivan ride.. the driver was pushing it to usd3 or so.. haha.. "if u all pay usd2, then we wait 20 minutes only i drive".. WHAT?! and so, he stood around lamely for 20 minutes before taking off.. i thought it was ridiculous.. apparently many of them (locals) are quite some con artists..
from where we were dropped off, we took about 15 minutes of walk, past the hoan kiem lake, and a bit of detour, we finally arrived.. so, both the above pictures are of the room we stayed.. decent.. affordable.. for a mere usd9.. we have to request to have the air condition on - top up usd2.. we didnt know about that.. but it was ok coz i prefered the fan anyway..
there's a pho stall right opposite the guesthouse we stayed.. with rather low stools and tables.. i think the furniture are ergonomically stunted.. i was sitting opposite tabby.. and u know, when we need to bow down a little to slurp the noodles? there'd be a tendency of knocking each others' heads? and could be hazardous for those with back problems? anyway, eating time should take only 5 minutes or so lah.. not to sound like i'm complaining though.. i thought it's interesting coz we don't have low furniture at our mamak stalls..
a bowl of pho costs about 15,000Dong.. so that's about usd1.. good stuff..

the cuttlefish for sale.. i find this interesting as well too.. patrons pick one and the seller would lie it down on the road.. then they beat it with a piece of wood to soften it.. put it in a metal utensil to grill over fire in a portable ceramic pot.. shred it into pieces and serve them on newspaper.. with chilli sauce..

the fruitshake.. served in a glass.. with chopped fruits - jackfruit, avocado, papaya, mango, dragonfruit, lychee apple.. it's "laced" with condensed milk & maybe a bit of coconut milk.. there'd also be a container of crushed ice.. we were supposed to top the fruits with the crushed ice & mix them up.. i see other people thrusting their metal spoons vigorously.. quite addictive, as kitty says.. this costs 10,000D..

went around walking nearby.. apparently there are night markets every fridays til sundays.. selling mostly handycraft, trinklets & clothes.. noticed this 1 particular shop called Dung..

a very cheerful street.. balloons sellers are everywhere!cheerful, busy street.. it was crazy.. the vehicles and people going in different directions.. sounds of horns honking and people chattering.. smells of grilled cuttlefish..

on the following day, we were to go to catba to meet kitty.. a series of different transportation.. begins with a 15minutes or so cab ride to the bus station.. then hop into a bus that goes through hai phong and across the red river i think.. transfer into a smaller bus.. ferry.. and then bus.. all in all it took us 5 hours.. there was this proud mom seated beside me.. frolicking with her baby most of the time..
finally, we reached catba town, after a crazy ride along the coast.. this is it! we walked and cycled around for a bit while waiting for kitty to get off work..
this nice lady - Thuy, was very friendly.. met her on the ferry.. she spoke in perfect english.. she just graduated in Public Health in Belgium.. while she was away for about a year, her husband took care of both their daughters.. she came back to have a holiday with her family.. it was her first time to the island too! her daughters are cute.. she asked where we're from so we replied "Malaysia".. she had no idea where it is.. we had to describe "above singapore?" "below thailand?" she roughly had an idea.. and with a Eureka-like response, she said "OHH!! MAH-LAI-SEE-AH!! i know where it is!" haha.. ok.. we bid farewell when we reached catba..
our room!! wee!! not bad too.. except for the occasional power cuts.. apparently it's crucial to check whether or not the guesthouses have backup power.. we had a generator in the room, but we couldnt turn the powers back on! it happened on both days that we were there.. so, i got to use the water heater half way.. and the air conditioning functioned half-way through the night.. grr.. when i asked the lady owner for a discount, she bluntly said "no." and that's it. haha. it's all cool. =) we had great fun here anyway! the Taboo boardgame lasted us the whole night! past midnight til what, 4-5am?? haha.. good game, people. i think i once saw the cards for sale.. u know? just a box of cards.. to replenish..
the view from our balcony.. =)

i don't mean to end this 'travel journal' in such abruptness.. hope ya all enjoyed reading.. i shall 'show' ya all more in my upcoming posts.. ta-daa!!