I awoke on day 7 of my trip with the worst hangover I have had in ages. I felt like my head was going to explode and my stomach was in knots combined with hunger pains. The previous night we had drank more than any person should ever drink and so we were preparing to leave the little secluded island and head on a journey to semi sobriety and a different island with internet access called Cat Ba.
All of the other tourists from the night before packed up their bags and jumped onto the boat and headed for their journey back to Hanoi. Robyn and I were lucky enough to get to sleep in for an extra hour and a half and take our own boat to Catba. Henry, one of the friendly 21 year old workers who was at the island for our stay had already left the island, so it was just us and the other 21 year old british boy named Mark. It felt like it was time to leave our little deserted paradise because the rain was falling softly on the bunglows and everythings seemed gray and tired. The sombreros that had been worn the night before in our drunken party were strew about and it seemed weird thinking of the mayhem that was happening only a mere 10 hours prior.
Robyn and I packed up our things and made our way as the lone tourists onto the boat to Cat Ba. It would have been a magnificent trip, but I felt like the waves combined with my hangover were going to cause me to throw up, so it was actually quite a challenge just to handle the boat ride. Finally, we made it into the quiet island surrounding by houseboats and fisherman and got off the boat to to jump on the back of motorbikes that took us over the mountan to our hotel.
Prince Hotel on Cat Ba Island felt like an oasis to me! Only a mere $20 and we had hot showers, beds, tvs, 24/7 electricity! I didn't realize how happy I would become but I felt like I had won the lottery. Robyn and I raced next door to a restaurant where I ordered 2 different dishes (Vegetable Pho and Tofu and veggies) and gorged myself with the wonderful food. Unfortunately, my stomach was not ready for that andn I had to race to the bathroom and puke because my hangover was still kicking strong. After that, I felt fine though and we spent our afternoon in a local internet cafe checking our emails and I spent it updating my travel blog.
About 5 pm, I went for an amazing jog around the city and decided I want to live here. The streets are clean and the view is spectacular. Cat Ba is full of lush green mountains that meet the beautiful boat filled sea. Restaurants line the boardwalk of the city and are spilling into the streets with outdoor seating. The people seem to be more layed back and kind than the hustlers and bustlers of Hanoi. I am in loving Cat Ba... maybe it is because it has the word Cat in it... hahahahhah I don't know but this beautiful place is somewhere I don't want to leave!
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