Later that night, I met back up with the people I met yesterday night at Good Bar! I also met 2 Dutch guys, Mees and Felix, and Julian who's German, whilst playing pool. So we all hung out and later on went to a karaoke place. We didn't karaoke at all there, but they kept it open for us, so that was nice. Sun taught us how to play this Vietnamese card game, it was a lot of fun!! After, we went back to the other place again to hang out with Chan, and play more pool.
They were planning on walking/trekking to a secluded beach the next day and have a picnic; Chan, Sun, Tatu, Mees & Felix, and they asked me to come! :) I definitely jumped on that one! After I told Megan about it the next morning she was all about it as well, and we asked another friend that Megan met, Hillary, to join us too! We had quite the group going.. Finland, Holland, US, Canada, & Vietnam locals: aka guarenteed fun!
We met at My Way Restaurant, where we went to many a times while on Cat Ba - Chan's friends and cousins own it, had some brekky. Then we were on our way! It was soo cool, we had to trek up, then down.. the up was along a road and then we reached a bamboo fence with a little door on the one side of it.. that was the way! Now it was time to go down.. it got quite a bit steep, and you could really tell that the trail was not used very much.. in fact unless other people went with locals there, I'm not sure any other backpackers/travellers would ever find it.
When we arrived, it was gorgeous! There were lots of big rocks along the beach, views of other islands, and together with all around awesome people, it was amazing! There were also HUGE jellyfish washed up on the beach and in the water. Tatu accidentally stepped right on top of one when we first got there lol. Not sure if they were dead or alive, we guessed the ones washed up were dead :/ But none of that wondering stopped Sun, after setting his things down, he just picked one right up!
It was some serious paradise.
We were all soo happy, relaxed and just having a good time. We set our things down on one side of the beach, and then, first things first: collecting bamboo for fire wood.
After that? Relaxation, cooking, swimming, climbing around, exploring, chatting, and just hanging out with new friends:)
It was an utterly perfect day.
..Probably one of my most favorites of my trip.
I went off and explored some rocks a bit and took some photos, when Sun yelled my name from across the beach to come back. When I got there, Chan was cooking up some oysters we bought! Sun also gave me this rice/sesame seed chrisp thing to try. It was pretty good!
I was a little iffy about the oysters at first, I don't like clams, which are probably the closest thing I've ever had to them, but being out here has really desensitized me and gotten me used to seafood and other types of food.. so after putting some lime juice and wasabi on the oyster, I gave it a go.. it was delicious!! Had many more after that lol. They were soo good!!
After finishing lunch we swam.. it was soo cold! But Sun, Megan, Tatu, and I toughed it out. We also grabbed Mees or Felix's camera, because it had an underwater feature where we could take photos underwater, so Sun and I were playing around with that for quite awhile. :)
After Chan, Tatu, and I took a small nap on a rock, and Mees and Felix climbed around on the other side of the beach, it was time for them to go, they were on the 3:30 boat out. So after packing up our things, we headed back to town and said goodbye. :( Hopefully we'll run into each other again, I think they're in Laos right now (and I am too)!
After goodbyes, we went to another beach! Second beach. This one wasn't secluded or anything, but still nice.. except for the guy who stopped us from going to the really beautiful and quieter part, because it's private now. :( On the way, we picked up a beer and some snacks (oreos of course) from a local seller.. that was funny and confusing all at once.. We gave the lady money, all separately and at different times, which caused a bit of confusion, and 10 minutes of standing there, trying to figure out which money went with what and who was owed what change, but there was laughter by the end of it. So that was good. :)
When we got to the beach, we just hung out and chatted. Megan and Chan threw the Frisbee around a bit, but for the most part, the rest of us just chilled. And Oh! The Sun came out for a bit! It was nice to see it after soo many days of overcast skies... The walk back was pretty too.. the Sun was nearly setting as we walked back along the Bay.
That night we met up again after showering, work dinner! And guess where we had it.. My Way! Big change.. :) Then we went back to Good Bar and played pool one last time before leaving.
The next day were met at (drum roll please).. My Way for breakfast and goodbyes.. I was leaving on the 2:00 boat, and the rest were staying one more night.. and let me just mention that it was one hell of a time being there while they tried planning it out.. it was hilarious!! and by the time I left I was regretting a bit that I wasn't staying one more night.
Then it was goodbyes for good..
:( didn't like that much.
I had such an amazing time with Sun and Chan and the others, I wonder if anything else on this trip will compare. Such great company, moments, and new friends I'll never forget.
Thanks again guys, I had a blast.
<3 M
Hope to see you again.
No comments:
Post a Comment