Cat Ba National Park

PHO

Our second day in Cat Ba kicked off over a tasty breakfast at a local cafe. Trevor happily ate a giant bowl of Pho, while I sipped a Lemon fruit shake. Over our meal, we discussed the day’s activities – as we had no real concrete plans set on this trip. We decided that with Trevor’s confidence in his motor bike skills growing, an adventure to the Cat Ba National Park would be a good way to see the island. Rather than ride around with our giant packs all day, we opted to book a hotel early and drop off our gear for the day. We decided to splurge on the Cat Ba Resort for the evening, dropped our bags, and took a quick dip in the ocean before heading out on our adventure for the day.

TRAVOR_PUP_LUNCH

Our first stop was (naturally) for lunch. We pulled into a small, roadside restaurant, and settled in to a meal of lemon grass chicken, spring rolls, and fresh lemon juice. The food was delicious, the owner, kind, his family cute, and his puppies happily played in the yard. His restaurant, he told us, was built by himself after his time in the Vietnam war. Roots hung from the ceiling, gently swaying in the breeze, and offering shade to his customers. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. His unique approach to building was apparent in every detail I could notice and I left feeling so happy that we had stumbled upon this particular place to stop and dine at.

TREVOR_SWIM

MINI_ADVENTURE

Our bellies full, Trevor and I left the peaceful shade, and hopped back on the motorbike, zipping towards the lush green of the National Park. We wove our way through the park and it’s amazing scenery – passing small villages, rice paddies, and lots of dried fish. I kept my eyes peeled for the rare Cat Ba Langur, an endangered primate who lives only in the forest of Cat Ba National Park. We stopped several times, for a quick swim, and a few small explorative hikes, but no Monkey’s were to be seen. 

HOSPITAL_CAVE

On our way back, we passed by the Hospital Caves. These were just as they sound – a series of caves that the Vietnamese used as a Hospital during the war. It was hard to imagine the spooky caves holding hospital beds and tending to wounded soldiers, but the attention to detail, construction of the rooms, and effort that must have gone into making these hidden caves was indeed impressive.

JACKFRUIT

Daylight was starting to fade, so we turned our bike back towards town and began our return to our hotel for the evening. As we zipped along, we passed a few men on the side of the road, and Trevor insisted that they waved at us to come over. The result of his U-turn was one of my favorite memories of the trip. These three men had found several giant Jack Fruits in the forest. They were chopping the fruit’s yellow flesh up with a small pocket knife and happily munching on this tropical treat. They quickly handed us some fruit, gave us a quick lesson on how to consume it, and continued to share with us till our bellies were full. A few minutes later, their ride appeared, they tossed their remaining Fruit in the truck, bid us a good bye and were off. The generosity of sharing with us (two giant westerners on a motorbike) was such a sincere gesture of kindness, the perfect end to a day of adventures. 

JACKFRUIT_2

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