After, we motored on to Hang Súng Sôt to tour the caves.
Let the dancing commence! Their pole dancing routine was memorable… Well- at least I could remember it.
Earlier in the evening, the Spaniards had managed to use a flashlight to call over a little boat- empty except for a case of beer! 
Later in the night, they decided it would be fun to jump off the boat. This may or may not have been related to the case of beer.
The Dutch girls help haul the Spanish boys out of the sea.
They kept yelling, “Use your feet!” in Spanish- but it didn’t seem to help.
Safely aboard! Whew! PS- none of them recall me taking this photo…
After the chaos, I headed off to bed- only to hear the Spaniards noisily roaming the hall- they had lost their room key (because they had misplaced their pants…) and were unsuccessfully trying to get the Dutch girls to let them stay in their room. If that evening had been any more entertaining, someone would have gotten kicked off the ship.
5) Pack LIGHT! If you can leave a bag locked at your hotel, do that. Firstly, the dock is 4-hrs from Hanoi and you will be in a totally full bus… with seats that fold down in the aisle.
*Bonus tip: If you are interested in doing MORE than the 2 day/3 night experience you can look into staying on Cat Ba Island for a few extra nights. The ships come and go with different groups of people, staying different amounts of time, in different places. So, just ask your ‘travel agent’ to catch a boat back a few days later and linger on the lovely island and explore the Nat’l Park.
Whatever you decide, try to put aside your expectations and hope for some good company. We hit the jackpot with a trio of Spaniards. That story comes next!
The taxi drivers at the station INSISTED on overcharging us and we ended up walking away from the station until one of them followed us and gave us a price we liked $3US for a 10 min ride. We splurged and stayed at the Crystal Hotel ($19/night) and we were pleased with the location, room and included breakfast.
The Citadel was off limits to anyone but the Royals.
There were a LOT of stairs to get up to see this view. This is the first set.
This site also houses a national relic: the car in which the monk Thich Quang Duc rode from his temple to Saigon on June 11, 1963. He stepped out of the car in an intersection, sat down in the lotus position, and burned himself to death in protest against the regime’s violations of religious freedom.
We had a few transportation options:
This face says, “How do you eat this Báhn Xêo, which is larger than my torso?” Troy and I met in Ho Chi Minh City and spent the next day on a tour booked from our hotel, exploring the Mekong River.
The only other entertaining thing we did besides eat a lot of Bahn Mi and gelato was take a walk in the park… where there were groups of high schoolers doing team building activities. Of course Troy inserted himself into the fun and harassed a poor teenager, then tried to put him in the trash can. There were also groups of women doing dance routines.
I am a solo-budget-traveler who likes to book my long-haul flights to/from home and then leave room in my itinerary for unexpected adventures along the way. While this gives me the flexibility and freedom I enjoy, it also means that I find myself spending precious time considering all my transporation options. Here are the top 5 things I learned along the way.
Let’s say I want to get from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore. First, I’d look up bus/train time tables and prices. Next, I’d hit up Skyscanner and find flights for my chosen time frame. If I could find a flight for under $70, it was almost always worth it since it saved me from sitting in a minivan all day. In Vietnam, I bought a flight from HCMC to DaNang that was the same price as an overnight train ride. Later, I rode the train from Hue to Hanoi and really enjoyed the trip.
Crossing land borders adds 1-2 hours to your trip. First, you get out and stand in line to get your visa/stamp. Get back in the bus, drive to customs and unload your gear. Wait in line again. The best bus companies give you VIP passes that fast-track you through the visa process. The worst make you switch buses at the border.
I noticed that the bus stations were located miles out of town and were only accessible by taxi. Sometimes, this means you arrive to your ‘destination’ only to find the cab drivers are charging $15 for the 7 mile drive to your hotel. The nine hour bus ride was only $14. Haggling usually works, but these cabbies know you aren’t going to walk to town, so make some new friends and split the fare.
When the option for land travel is minivan, bus or luxury bus; spend the extra $5. I rode five hours in a minivan, with my hands braced against the back of the bench in front of me It wasn’t bolted down and tipped back, precariously, every time we accelerated. Luxury buses often give water or a meal as well. We also paid a bit more for our overnight train berths which slept four people instead of six people.
During my pre-trip research I read it over and over again; moto travel is dangerous! I promised myself that I wouldn’t travel by motorcycle while in Asia. Reinforcing my fears, I met numerous travelers with broken bones/terrible road rash and scary stories. I was NOT going to be one of them! The last week of my trip, I rented a ‘scooter’ from our hostel to explore the low-key island of Koh Lanta. Luckily, nothing happened to me but my scooter wasn’t so lucky. Uneven pavement and a well-placed guardrail resulted in a hefty repair fine that my travel insurance wouldn’t cover. Lesson learned. Next time rent a pedal bike.
Eventually, I learned that ANY time I changed locations I should just plan on using a full day of travel time. So, I tried to relax when in transit. I talked to other travelers, binge-listened to my favorite podcasts and watched the world go by outside my window. The journey is part of the adventure and makes the destination sweeter.
A cab can get stuck in traffic for HOURS and cost $27us! Bypass that hassle and figure out if your destination is near a SkyTrain station.
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FestiBelt Adventures 
