Did what every visitor to Cat Ba island must do… the Halong Bay tour. After being picked up at the hostel we arrived at the ferry terminal and got on our boat. We sailed through floating villages and caught a glimpse of how they live (they tend to catch fish and seafood to sell to the local markets). After about 30 minutes we arrived in the Halong Bay and admired the beautiful setting. Soon after we stopped to kayak on the emerald water and were lucky to spot Langur monkeys which are declining in numbers on the island.
After kayaking in Halong Bay we had a big lunch on the boat then set off to our next stop, Lan Ha Bay. It was here we were allowed to jump off the boat and swim for a while.
Our final stop was Monkey Island, where there were, you guessed it, monkeys! I have never been that close to monkeys before but they are very fascinating to watch. They are certainly very clever and I witnessed a few scenes where maps/water bottles/cans were stolen right out of peoples hands and bags. One monkey took a water bottle, pierced a hole in the bottom with its teeth and drank the whole thing. The other cool thing about Monkey Island is the peak, you can climb up the rocks to the top and get a good view of Lan Ha Bay- just don’t wear flip flops!
In the evening we went for a fat pizza at My Way before going to a new addition to the island, Marigold Sky Dance.
