Everyone wants more of my Dong ! .. A Karst of thousands

The further south we go the more of my dong they want. Kitty still cannot handle the Dong satisfactorily, but she is getting better at it. She is only out by a factor of up to 2 now not 10 but still haggles over over 12,000 dong. I tell her it is only 80 cents she is haggling over. She says "No... It is .... um...eh, let me see.... its only 75 cents". After 30 years I still do not know how her mind works. But she should at least appreciate the $1 calculator I bought her for Christmas.

Halong Bay is 3 hours bus trip from Hanoi. The bay is large and a 2 hour Junk trip (motorised boat) gets you to Cat Ba Island. Cat Ba is a large island surrounded by a karst of 1000s. Actually 1969 karsts - strange small limestone islands that rise straight up, 30-100 metres, from the sea. You would rapidly get lost among them - they are so close and so many. In the mist it is true Pirates of the Caribbean stuff. The boat was 50-70 ft long probably and was set out like a hotel. As many waiters (in white uniforms) as passengers, excellent fresh seafood (no doubt taken from the many live fish tanks actually in the sea); accomodation was better than many of our hotels.

Cat Ba Island is interesting but can be missed - especially if in a mist, winter period. Our hotel on Cat Ba was very good. Set meals in a small cafe (all included in package was OK but not what we wanted). The Aussie couple we ate with told us they went off later and had a moccha creme brulee dessert for $4 at a restaurant whose name they forgot. Rapidly summing them up, and pf the 100 cafes nearby I presumptuously said "Was that at the Green Mango ?" Yes they replied in surprise. Kitty glowered at me ! " How did you know that ?" she demanded ! " I eat there all the time", I replied indifferently. Kitty glowered even more. "YOU WENT AND READ ALL THE MENUS AT THE CAFES AND REMEMBERED THE DESSERTS !", she said triumphantly ! No, Kitty - I am not Rainman; after 30 years of marriage she still has NO idea how I think !

Next and last real stop is off to Hoi An tonight. It is half way to HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City aka Saigon) - and, I am told, a must see.

Regards
Captain Jack Sparrow