Berry's SEAJ trip Day 17: Sapa exploration (6/22/15)

Got up early to Skype Dad and the family as it was fathers day back in the states. After that, I get on a bus and head to Sapa. I slept most of the ride on the bus as I was still exhausted from the previous days on castaway island. We get in and I check into my hostel ( the third backpackers hostel I have stayed at – Hue, Hanoi and Sapa). After check-in, I walk around the city a little bit before heading down to the Cat Cat village.

On the way up to Sapa. Starting to get into the mountains with the rice fields and clouds rolling on by.

We are up in the clouds going through the passa nd the clouds are all around us. Visibility ~10 ft.

Yet another iteration of the awesome hostel I have stayed in on this trip (this one way maybe 6 months old - still construction going on). Thought I think Berry likes this one the most.

View from the hostel window and Berry is loving having the clouds rolling on through the windows. Something surreal about being high enough for clouds to be rolling by you when you grow up in a city flatter than a notebook paper.

Sapa city map. Today I will explore the city and the Cat Cat village.

Central city with the church in the background and a shrubbery depiction of the city name. 

Berry likes the central lake with the views of the city that comes from walking along the lake.

Just in case you woke up not knowing where you were or what year it was.

On the way down to the Cat Cat village and this resort restaurant towers over the landscape. Sticks out like a sore thumb but still looks awesome.

Getting closer to the village and start seeing other houses set up in the valley. 

Berry is starting to see the cascading rice terraces this region is knowing as you get down in the valley. Amazing! 

Panorama of the view down in the valley. 

Berry seeing more of the terrace rice fields. Really is cool how they use their environment to still be productive.

Berry seeing more of the terrace fields across the way. So much greenery. 

The way there is down a steep hill and this local village is mostly them just selling their little trinkets. Was nice to see I guess but could be avoided easily. Near the end of the village there was a guy who asked me if I wanted him to drive me back to town. I said no. Of course that means please follow and harass me as I will change my mind. So this prick follows me for at least 100-200 m (if not longer) continually asking. I get to the end of a bridge and hes on his bike still asking. I walk past not even making eye contact and after a few seconds I hear him start his bike up. I figure he is leaving and I am free from him; not the case, as he pulls up next to me and offers another ride. He eventually gets the message and leaves. I often wonder the laws in Vietnam regarding tazing and/or pepper spraying people and what constitutes harassment cause these insistent people need to be stopped (but don't worry there are more stories in the future).

Berry wanting to get the in waterfall in the Cat Cat village. Saw those other people and got jealous.

Berry waiting for these people to get out of the way so he can cross the bridge. What a gentleman letting them get their pictures.

Berry loves the waterfalls. Feel like I should have taken him to Niagara before this trip.

Though he also likes these bridges so he just seems to have eclectic tastes. 

Berry trying to decide whether to cross the danger bridge :)

Panorama with the valley and the terraces all in one. This was as I was making my way back up to the town.

I get back to the hostel and recharge and find out that Andrew, from the pub in Phong Nnha, was in Sapa that same night so we grab some beers and watch the locals play various games in the town square (soccer match, the foot badminton I saw in the Mekong, etc.). While watching we had some Asian ladies ask to take pictures with us. After a few beers, we part ways and I go back to get some sleep. Room is nice but stuffy (no fan/AC) as the hostel is still being put together.

Every night, these people meet up in their town square and games happen. People play rudimentary soccer without goals, frisbees get thrown, toys are played with, etc. It was pretty cool being in a town where the main square was a social hot spot for everyone. 

bustling center square of Sapa.

Berry's SEAJ trip Day 16: Ha-long/castaway day 3 (6/21/15)

Last nights sleep was no different. After breakfast, I start packing up and realize my left sandal is missing.
After looking all over the island, I eventually find it in my room under this guys stuff. This drunk fool pissed himself twice the other day for money (like 2$) before passing out at dinner and his friends pouring shit all over him. I get my stuff together, and we head back to the hostel via the same series of boats and buses. On the ride, many of the guys I was with were polishing off bottles of liquor (they drank a bottle of vodka and a bottle of rum – it was impressive but I wanted nothing to do with that). Once back at the hostel, I get my stuff and take a glorious shower before chilling that night as I need to wake up early again to head to Sapa in the morning.

Berry's SEAJ trip Day 15: Ha-Long/Castaway day 2 (6/20/15)

After a horrible sleep, I woke up for breakfast. Having a slow start, we then prepare for the booze cruise which is an all day drinking fest until its time to kayak a little bit through the bay and then have lunch on the boat which was good.

Berry looking back at our island as we set off on our cruise ship.

Yet another private beach. There seem to be many of these throughout the bay. Though they have to be careful as some get covered by the tides.

Berry cant wait to jump in the water and kayak around.

This was a fishery or a gas station or something of the sort. Those rocks dont get old. Such beautiful sights all around. This place combines the awesome skyline of a mountain with the relaxation of the island life. Great combo.

Our group socializing before things got too crazy. I limited my time out there in the sun as the sweating prevented me from putting on sunscreen (as I found out earlier in the trip). 

Berry kept wanting pics of him and the bay. I dont know who liked the scenery more between the 2 of us. 

Compulsory artistic photo.

Periodically, the boat stops and we are able to jump off the top into the water and swim around and just hang out. With the sun being unrelenting, I tried my best to stay to the shade as people were getting burned early in the day and I didn't want to be one of them. By the end of this cruise, our group drank the boat out of alcohol. I am not sure if that happens all the time but not a good sign :) As we are getting in, some of the guys are stripping down and jumping off the boat naked.

Berry was checking out these people who had set up an umbrella and whole set up on random island beach. Winning!

Berry lining up to jump off the side of the boat as thats what one does when your boat docks in the middle of Ha Long bay and you are on a booze cruise. 

(Wo)man overboard! One of our passengers wanted to go check out the beach. 

The panorama made it seem darker than it was but that was the area we were swimming in. It all starts looking the same but still gorgeous.

Sunset day 2. 

Berry getting his tan on.

Little video of the island at sunset because why not?

Before dinner, Adam and this other guy are ringing the gong multiple times (must have been 6 in about a 20-30 minute period). I can physically only do the first 4 and then I need food. I did the same stuff tonight as last night in terms of drinking here and there and just enjoying being in the water and playing with the plankton. They are a good group of guys but I am tuckered out from no sleep night before and day of drinking.

Berry's SEAJ trip Day 14: Ha long Bay and Castaway Island Day 1 (6/19/15)

Gather in the hostel lobby until they shuttle us to the bus to take us down to Ha Long bay. After a series of boats and buses, we approach the castaway island which is beautiful; a bunch of huts on the sand on this private island in the middle of the fourth world heritage site of this Vietnam trip (Phong Nha was the third).

Berry ready to explore the bay. 

Berry looking at all these house boats chilling in the bay and thinking "this is not a bad place to live". I tend to agree.

Berry trying to go up the stairs to get a better view on the boat. 

Panoramic shot on the side of the boat. 

Berry was pointing out that there was a beach on the island in the distance. That is seclusion.

Berry taking in the view of the bay and desperately wanting to go be on his own private beach.

I told Berry that is our private island beach for the next 2 nights. He seems happy with this news. So am I for the record.

We get onto the beach and instantly just start taking in the amazing views.

We go up to the cabana and Berry wanted another picture of our beautiful surroundings.

Walkway down to the sleeping cabins and a volleyball pit on the beach.

The bay itself is beautiful but the water is much dirtier then I expected; still swam in it and what not but I expected clear blue water like in the Caribbean As we get on the island, we are introduced to the rules of the island and have lunch. After lunch, we did our activity, mine was tubing. So the boat whipped us around on that tube and the time I wiped out my earring fell out and was lost.

We get to do one action sport, Berry chose tubing. I wound up losing my earring on one of the wipeouts from this thing. Berry seemed to enjoy it though. 

Berry survived the boating and saw all the people swimming in the water so he wanted to go. Also notice the pier? It would be partially submerged periodically due to the tide.

Berry taking a dip in the water to cool off from the heat. Such a great view for swimming I must say.

Berry was done and wanted a picture of the sky over the bay. Pure bliss!

Sun setting over the rocks in the distance.

Fish boat strolling on by.

Berry wanted to traverse the submerged (and pretty slippery) pier so we went for it.

Home for the next few days. Berry likes it. Later this night, we noticed there were cats that lived up in the rock and would come down to get food and then scale the mountain back up to their nests. Was interesting.

We get back and the group from the previous night gets in on the cruise boat. After a few drinks, we have dinner. One of the rules of the island is that if someone rings the gong, they are buying everyone a drink. We met a guy (Adam) who loved ringing this gong. However, he would say you have to shotgun the beer; so we shotgunned many a beers on this trip thanks to him.

Berry ready for the stars to come out as people are enjoying a twilight swim.

Just another picture of dusk in this amazing place.

And another. I was thoroughly enjoying being in this environment. 

Tried taking a long exposure to get the moon and other bright lights in the sky to come through. That rope to the left was to help people getting out to the pier end not slip and fall walking on the first part of the pier .

After dinner, the main area turns into a club which is annoying as I thought it would be more drinking games and bar scene, but no. The bay has bio-luminescent plankton so I went for a swim to enjoy them. After enjoying the night sky from the water and getting my fill of the plankton, I head to bed. My bed was unmade and full of sand. Was not happy with that or the fact that there were random fans here and there but not enough for comfortable sleep. I woke up in the middle of the night sweating profusely and made a fan focus on me in order to manage not dying in my sleep of dehydration.