Some photos

Here are some photos that will help make sense of the next blog entry.

First, the ferry from Tuan Chau Island to Cat Ba Island. My motorcycle on the far left.

 

Here's an example of why you occasionally read stories about sinking ferries in Southeast Asia. From what I could tell, they took some asphalt and used it to cover most of the rust holes on the main deck. They missed a few spots.

 

Your typical iPod tourist photo of a limestone karst in Ha Long Bay, one of hundreds that dot the northeast coast of Vietnam.

 

 

 

 The view from my $10/night room in Cat Ba town.

The view from the hallway outside my room.

Just outside the entrance to Cat Ba National Park. They seem to charge hikers by the kilometer here. The first hike I did, 3 kilometers to a nice elevated viewpoint, cost me 15,000 Vietnamese dong (about 70 cents). Two days later I did a 7 kilometer hike to "Frog Lake," and had to pay 35,000 dong for the privilege. A new idea for US National Park users? Write your Congressional representative.