Climb on

2/13-2/15

Golden tree snake 

So we are back on the wall! With our friend Abdul that we met in Thehkek, Laos, we head to butterfly valley yet again. We are ticking off a lot of climbs in the valley, soon we will be out of climbs within our grade. We worked on a few of 6b’s as we had a chill day hanging with Abdul. Austin got on a 6b called Very Tot which became very interesting. After the first three bolts he ran into a snake on the wall, hidden in a crack just next the the climb. The beautiful yellow and black patterned little guy turned out to be a golden tree snake or a flying snake. They are nonvenomous but are quick to move and can jump out and grab things mid air. Of course, we didn’t know this at the time so after Austin spotted the snake he flew up two more bolts. He made it up to the last bolt before the anchor and was about to clip and be safe when his hand starte

d to slip. He tried to down climb but missed a foot hold, slipped off the rock and with his foot behind the rope he got flipped upside down as he fell. Abdul was belaying him and expertly gave Austin a bit of slack so if he fell he would clear a large tufa that was below him. Consequently Austin fell head first down almost half the climb but cleared all the hazards along the way. He swung in open space after letting out the highest pitch scream I have ever heard from a man. Still, after such a huge whipper, he was able to finish the climb but was a bit rattled for the rest of the day.

Abdul resting like a seal

The next day, we went back to our trusty spot. I made it my goal to start leading up more 6b’s and had a couple of climbs already picked out. I successfully made it up 3 climbs and now have 3 projects to ‘scend (climb with out falling). Austin followed up two of the climbs so that we could retrieve our quickdraws with ease and ended up leading a climb that he had fallen on the day before just shy of the anchors. He cruised the climb and was able to put it in the guide book as a proper ‘scend. After I finished my three climbs for the day, Austin was feeling well rested and decided to go for a climb called “Cracker Jack” a 6c (5.11a). He had been talking about this climb since we arrived to the valley on the first day but kept passing it saying he needed to be in the right mind and feeling good about it. I guess today was the day and he so he tied into the rope, chalked up and gave it a go. The start was steep with plenty of jugs making it wildly pumpy. He pushed through the first half the climb with ease and found a great knee bar before moving up to an awkward rest just below a over hung roof. Once pass this he quickly made his way to the next rest spot where he was able to sit in a cave and take a breather. The final few bolts were run out and continuous but soon he was at the jug next to the anchor. With the last bit of strength he was able to clip bolts and let out a celebratory yell! 

Nearing dark we headed on out and ended our day with a nice meal and a few well deserved beers. Bed time came pretty early for both of us being that we were both exhausted and needed some rest before tackling the valley again the next day.

This morning we woke up sore and therefore had a slow morning. We eventually made our way to a great cafe know as “My Way” for brunch which was absolutely amazing. Afterwards, we grabbed out passes and off to the valley we went. 

My new friends

Needing to warm up a bit we decided it would be best for Austin to retackle “Elephant Man” a 6b+ (5.10d) that he had fallen at the crux on a few days earlier. He started off smooth but once again got stumped at the crux (the hard part of the climb). A few scrambles back and forth and a few hand and foot adjustments opened up the sequence and him to advance through the crux. Now all he had to do was stay focused and finish the climb with out any slip ups. He had one close call but was able to save it and advanced all the way to the anchors giving him a ‘scend of the route. 

I went for my project but half way wasn't feeling it so came off to give my arms and mind a rest before giving it my all. In this time, Austin decided to go after a 6c+ (5.11b) called “Bolts are us”. He did wonderful until the huge dino (a jumping motion to the next hold). He went for the move but came up short. After a rest and a study of the route he went for it and made the move. Soon after he was at anchors with a big smile, although he did not ‘scend it, he was happy about making it to the top.

After this I decided I was ready to give my project another go. I had a smooth start and found good rest before the last few bolts which was the crux of the climb. A deep breath and off I went clipping the bolts through the hard part. After I successfully got the last draw in I knew I was so close to accomplishing my goal. Two high feet and a big reach to a not so good hold unlock the sequence. I had made it through the crux! Now all I had to do was step up to the ledge and clip the anchor. Before going to it I took a deep breath and made sure my hands and feet were solid. Clipping bolts was a wonderful feeling, the wave of emotion was powerful. I had successfully led my first 6b clean all the way! 

Austin wanted to cool down a bit so we agreed on getting back on a classic climb called “Mother Butterfly a 6a+ (5.10b). He led it with ease and I followed and cleaned the route. Man is it a wonderful line. Feeling good about our day and our success we decided to call it there and head back for a beer and some life maintenance time at our hotel. We are here now relaxing and enjoying a movie. Tomorrow the plan is to rent a boat and go out to the bay for some beach climbs. Stay tuned as we are sure there will be tales of adventure to share about this unique experience in Halong Bay. Until then….. 

Access Denied

2/11-2/12

Words from the recovering sick kid (Robyn)

Bodies have a funny way of telling you SLOW DOWN! The past couple of off days we have had were to help me recover from a darn common cold. Austin had to brave the pharmacy where language barriers get taken to a whole new level. He did get his hands on some decongestant and cough suppressant after acting out the best he could my symptoms. It is really easy here to get what you need without a prescription, everything is over the counter. The pharmacist even tried to give Austin Valium when he attempted to act out what a sore throat and sinus head aches looked like! 

After a day and half off from climbing, we decided to head to a climb spot called “The Farm”. The Farm is close enough to town you can even walk there. Lucky us though, we hopped on our motor bike and cruised down a residential road that turned into a dirt path. Our guide book told us to leave our bike to the side of the path and walk on in. The Farm, like a majority of Cat Ba’s climb spots, was on private property. Because of this, sometimes you have to pay to access the area. We were told we were good to go but if someone does approach you, it might be a small charge. As we gathered our stuff to continue on foot, a local man drove up on his bike shaking his head no. We showed him our guide book and made the sign for rock climbing but he told us “No”, pulled out his cell phone and made a call. Austin was given the phone with the local business owner for a new climb/tour shop in town on the other end. He explained that we had to buy a pass through his shop and was very confused on how we new about the area. There were a lot of miscommunications due to language barriers over the phone so the the fella hung up saying “I will just meet you out there.” Austin gave the phone back to the owner of the farm and just looked at me confused. I gave him the “lets just go look” and with a nod we both apologized to the owner and headed out on our bike. On our way back to town we passed a westerner and a local on a bike, doing a double take when we passed. Climbers here stick out like a sore thumb with our obscure shaped packs and climbing helmets on. 

We cruised back to where our buddies worked and where we got our guide book to re-plan our day. As we got off the bike behind us pulled in the two fellas (the same ones who took a double take) on a bike who turned out to be the owners of the new climb shop in town. They asked us a bit aggressively what we were doing in the farm and how we even knew about it. We showed them our guide book and that we were told by other climbers that we were fine to go there. They gave the book a bit of a guffaw, explaining that there are way more routes then our book depicts and that the climb shop shouldn’t be sending people out there (even though they were the ones who had bolted the wall). If we wanted to go we had to buy a pass through them (the two on the bike) and park in a designated area where we would turn it in at the sight (none of which is set up yet-so we would of likely been told to leave either way). They became very apologetic (again motor bike guys), explaining that they want climbers to come and enjoy the climbs at the farm. They urged us to come over to their shop and get a pass at which point we simply told them we would come by another day and needed a minute to plan our day. 

This whole conversation took place in front of the climb shop that  our buddies worked at and who had established the rest of the climbing areas in Cat Ba. So once they had left we turned around and retold the whole story to several employees/friends that were sitting and watching the whole thing. The employees at the climb shop told us their perspective to this small town political problem which left us in a situation where it would be silly to choose sides so we were better off just going to climb else where. (We apologize if this was confusing for we did not feel comfortable mentioning the names of the two shops involved.)

After witnessing what felt like a child custody battle, we headed off the trusty butterfly valley. Austin warmed up on a 6a and pushed me to top rope it. I floundered around for a while, feeling like a goopy sick-kid, then decided to just belay for the day. Luckily Josh, one of the employees, from our trusty climb shop, came upon us and asked to join. I was happy to slide off my harness and watch Josh push Austin to his limit.  Josh is a really strong climber and was climbing 7a’s and 7b’s while recovering from an injury.  At the end of the day, Austin led a 7a (5.11c/d), 7a+(5.12a), a 6c+ (5.11d), and top roped another 7a. After that he could barely grip the accelerator on the motor bike to get us home.  

After a day like that, we planned on taking it easy for a day. Thank god it was raining to keep us off the wall. We tried our best to have a proper rest day just eating food and laying low but after the rain subsided we had to get just one climb in so we cruised over to Ban Bao which is a harbor town within walking distance from Cat Ba town. Our buddies who work out here live at a hotel on the water and right next to the wall we climbed. While climbing mist continue to blow in and tourist crowded the dock taking pictures. Feeling uncomfortable do to weather and pressure of tourist watching, we got in one wet route and called it good. The climbing continues! Its been a fun way to explore this island so far!

Cat Ba...The Adventure Continues!

Cat Ba continues to amaze us both. The locals are beyond nice and the island is absolutely beautiful. Although the Lunar New Year has come and gone, much of the island still shows signs of celebrations. (For the Vietnamese, the new year last more than just a day.) Many decorations are still up and the occasional firework still sounds off and lights up the night sky. There are still many store fronts that are closed and locked up due to everyone being with friends and families. 

Although all this is going on around us, Robyn and I have had our focus else where. We have been exploring the natural beauty of the island and climbing as much as we can. Over the past few days we have climbed in two different locations and have driven all over the island via our motor bike. We have seen beaches, found caves, walk through abandoned areas, and even visited a temple at the end of a sketchy looking board walk.

On our third day out to the valley, we ran into some old friends of ours from our travels in Laos. A group of friendly young Canadians. We all enjoyed chatting and catching up as we climbed the day away. We climbed several brilliant routes that day ranging from 6a to 6c. Each route posed its on challenges; all very dynamic and fun. 

The next day, Robyn and I went to another location know as the cave, a five minute drive from our hotel. The cave was much different as it was a smaller crag located in the town limits. To gain access to this climbing area, you must drive through a neighborhood and park just outside of a particular house noted in the guide book. Since the wall is practically in the backyard, you have to walk up and get permission to walk through the house. At first, Robyn and I were unsure of how this process would work out but in the end all was well and we had a good day at the wall. 

Once at the house we parked our bike and before much longer a nice local lady asked if we were there to climb at which we shook our heads yes. After this, she told us to follow her and that we could use her home to gain access to the wall. We walked up her pathway leading to her house where the rest of her family was sitting and smiling as we walked through there “living room” and “kitchen” and out through the backyard. A short walk through some woods and up a hill brought us to the cave. We enjoyed three climbs (ranging from 5b-6b) there before being to exhausted to continue anymore. They were all unique in the fact you were climbing tufas and stalactites. 

That afternoon we enjoyed a relaxing visit to the three local beaches near the town. They were all closely located to one another being only a short 3-5 minute motor bike ride from our hotel. Two of the beaches were connected via a paved path that meandered along the rocky coast line. Each one was filled with people enjoying the crashing waves, warm weather, and beautiful views of limestone karst structures shooting up from the ocean. It was our first glance of how beautiful Halong Bay truly was. 

At the last beach we visited, I took off to climb some rocks and scramble up to a high point to see if I could get any better views of the bay. As I made my way higher and higher the view of course got better and better. As I searched for a way up the final few rocks to the very top, I heard a whistle and as I turned around to see who or what it was I saw a small figure on the beach below where I had begun my accent waving his arms frantically. I soon realized he did not want me up there and was signaling me to come down, so in order not to cause any more issues I started my decent. Upon reaching the beach, I was greeted by a very unhappy local. 

I tried to apologize for any scare I had created but he simply responded by pointing to a sign

that was in Vietnamese and saying “fine, fine, you pay”. I figured the sign that I had simply ignored early because of not being able to understand it in fact meant “NO CLIMBING” ….woops. Lacking a wallet, I just smiled and walked away in a hurry back towards Robyn who was watching it all just down the beach a bit. We gathered our things and decided it would be best to just leave and enjoy the rest of the day including sunset from our hotel room balcony.

Today was nice, we had a really lazy morning and a late breakfast/early lunch. Afterwards, we hopped on the motor bike and drove around the island with no real plans or expectations. If we liked something we stopped and if not we continued on down the road. We manage to find some pretty cool spots around the island. Our first stop was the fishing pier where we stopped and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the harbor. After this, we headed along the coast where we found a cool panoramic view atop a spiral staircase. We then found an abandoned building along the coast filled with stray dogs, rust, broken windows, and out of date fishing and building supplies. Being chased off by barking dogs, we decided to stay on the motor bike for a while and just cruise to the other end of the island. The drive was breath taking with views of the ocean and mountains all around. On the other side of the island we found a cool port town with many tourist flooding in off boats and unto the docks. Here also is where we happened to find the temple at the end of the board walk. This was super cool because the walk meandered along this rock wall and out over mud flats with mangrove trees and fiddler crabs crawling around. Being later in the afternoon by this time, we decided to zoom back across the island to grab food and relax back in the hotel room. A 30-40 minute ride brought us back to Cat Ba town where we grubbed and now are relaxing.

Tomorrow should mean more climbing for us, weather pending that is. We keeping our fingers crossed for we both have goals to meet and plenty of routes to check off before leaving here!

Island Life

2/6-2/7

Cat Ba has four locations to climb on the main island and ten locations out in Ha Long Bay. It also has plenty of deep water soloing but unfortunately the season is not right for that now. The tides are too low and the temperatures are as well. Each location on the main island of Cat Ba requires a pass that you must purchase from the local climb shop because the crags are on private lands.

Butterfly Valley

Robyn and I spent our first days climbing in Butterfly Valley which is located about 30 minutes outside of Cat Ba town via motor bike. Getting there our first day went pretty smooth to our surprise. The new (as in 2 weeks fresh off the press) guidebook for the area gave us step by step directions with a few photos to follow. Couldn't of been easier! Driving there we passed through a busy market street full of locals buying things in prep for the upcoming New Year celebrations (Vietnamese/Lunar New Year). After that we passed through a few small village towns and a work-in-progress road that was recently cut through the mountain side. Our last bit of the adventure took us up and down rolling hills through far lands and ended with us in the beautiful valley. We followed signs for "The Hive,"the small climbers hangout owned and run by the family who owned the land and the big farm you walked through to reach the craig.

Guide Book

We parked our motor bike on the last bit of cement which was surrounded by bonsai trees and stag horns. We were quickly met by one of the owners of the property who we gave our pass to and learned in which direction we were meant to go to get to the crag. A short walk from there led us through an open field with cows tied to ropes grazing and laying about. Once through the field we headed up a small trail that took us to the wall where we picked out our first climbs.

We started on a 5c to warm up and learn the style of climbing, but quickly were confused by a tricky start that required awkward balance moves with big reaches. After both leading the climb we were happy we had started easy but our confidence had been knocked down a bit because of the puzzling route. I (Austin) decided to climb it once more to regain confidence. After being lowered, I started to pull the rope down from the route but realized I had left a knot in the end of the rope that was then half way up the wall.  I couldn't climb up and retrieve it so I ended up using the other end of the rope and lead the climb again to rescue our rope. I guess three times really is a charm.

Coolest commute to a crag

Next, I decided on a 6b which ended up being pumpy but more straight forward and of the style climbing we have become used to from being in Southeast Asia. Check that one off as an on-sight! I also climbed a 6c+ which kicked my butt a bit but I am excited to work more on it so I can climb it smoother. I later learned it had once been considered a 7a. Since we were getting worked hard by the wall, we opted for another tricky and a bit awkward 5c, followed by a fun 6a that required some route finding and interesting movement.

That night, both tired from climbing as well as traveling still, we opted for balcony time with a few beers, cookies and chips. Bed time came pretty soon that night and we both slept in the next day.

Once up and going, we grabbed a quick breakfast of Pho (noodle soup) and coffee, grabbed our pass, and then headed back out to the beautiful Butterfly Valley. Sore from our first day we decided to play it a bit easier. We climbed a really fun classic 4 called "Roots Reggae" named appropriated because you actually climb the roots of this tree growing off the side of the rock wall. We then hopped of some really fun and slabby 5a's. Once warmed up and feeling good, we both led a fun 6a+/6b which required some technical balance moves that were definitely committing. We ended our day with a fun yet sustained 6b.

Woodstock Beach view

Before heading back into town we decided to go on a short motor bike ride to explore some more of the island. We ended up following a road that wound through a mountain pass and ended at a neat beach called Woodstock located in a beautiful bay. Sun was setting, making for wonderful views all around. After a short walk on the beach and a few snapped pictures we headed back to grab food which we were both in need of.

We grabbed cheap sandwiches from a street vender and then headed over to a restaurant for some spring rolls and amazing Vietnamese coffees over sunset. Tonight there will be a celebration to bring in the New Year so we are hoping we can stay up to enjoy the festivities, mainly the fireworks. Two New Year celebrations in one year, who knew it....

Again stay tuned, for we have more adventures to share about this beautiful place.

Cat Ba sunset

Trust the System: A story of Point A to Point B

2/4-2/5

We took a night bus from Sapa to Hanoi. This was meant to leave around 9 pm and arrive in Hanoi around 3 am but rather we left at 11:30 pm and arrived at 5 am. Also the bus was a bit over packed meaning several people had to sleep in the isles of the bus.

There goes Austin's luggage 

After arriving in Hanoi we walked to our hostel where we had to re pack our bags, grab laundry, take showers, and grab breakfast with lots of coffee. This all had to be done before 10 am because we were departing again to head out to the island of Cat Ba (a pre arranged ticket we bought through our hostel). At around 10 am we were picked up by a gentleman who walked us very rapidly from our hostel to the nearest main road to grab a taxi to the bus station. Once at the bus station, we were met by the same gentleman and rushed over to the bus we were to take to the port city. He had followed our taxi through Hanoi on his motor bike so that he could assist us at the station as well as pay for our taxi fee. We sat and waited on the bus for near an hour while more and more people showed up and found a seat on the bus. The storage compartment down bellow was field with the wildest goods for the new year. These was a box full of chickens, a motor bike, and even a dog. We eventually left the station and two and a half hours later we were at the port city (Hai Phong) where we got on another bus that was parked randomly on a side street rather than at a bus station. We then took this bus for about thirty minutes to a seemingly random dock surrounded by freight stations, concrete plants and other industrial looking facilities. There we got in line with our belonging and waited some more. There were many Vietnamese waiting in line as well. Some were on motor bikes, others had tons of bags filled with food and gifts for the Vietnamese/Chinese New Year (Feb 8th) I believe the time delay for getting onto the ferry was do to either a lack of fuel or too much weight for the boat to handle with all the people and belongings.

Squeezing in with motor bikes

We finally were invited on the boat and packed ourselves in as tight as possible. Robyn and I had to stand among the motor bikes on the back of the boat because every flay surface of the boat was filled with luggage or people. This happened to many people so we all got creative and started using the motor bikes as seats. The boat struggled to leave the shallow waters of the dock but made it. We cruised along a few canals as we made our way to Cat Ba. Once out in the bay we were met by another boat. The two boats docked up together and several motor bikes and a few people were put on the new boat. This included Robyn and I but not my luggage. I was a bit worried and tried to fetch by bag from the boat in which I just left but was instructed no with the wave of hands and pointing of fingers. We finally figured out that we divided up because of the weight and were in fact both going to the same spot where we would reunite with our belongings. The dock on Cat Ba was tucked up a small river and because of the extremely low tide we had to lighten the loads of each boat to make it. Our boat got stuck in the mud trying to dock but we were close enough to the other boat to jump off and lighten the load on the boat enough for it to pull into a slip.

Cat Ba

Once on the docks we were than ushered over to another bus that we assumed was taking us to the main city of Cat Ba. It was also over filled so we sat in the isles with a few more people. A few stops later we had arrived to the main strip. We grabbed our bags, found the climbing shop that a friend of ours from Laos worked in. There we got information about climbing and a good place to stay while on the Island.  We walked over to the recommended hotel and negotiated a good price for a room and motor bike for getting to the climb sites. We will begin climbing tomorrow, stay tuned for more tales of adventure!

Walking in the Clouds

2/2-2/4

We rearranged our bags to take only what we needed to trek with for a few days. This included all of our warm layers, toiletries and a few miscellaneous items. We brought the rest of our belongings to the storage room and then waited in the hostel lobby to be picked up and taken to the night bus. A 2 minute ride in a van brought us to our bus where we hopped on and chose a "bed" for the night. The  beds were reclined seats with cubbies for your feet and what ever belongings you did not store underneath in the luggage department. The bus was comfortable with free water, a clean bathroom, and even wifi. Not too long after departing we were both sound asleep. Apparently walking through busy city streets for a few days exhausted us. 

H'Mong from Lao Chai and Y Linh Ho

Around 3 or 4 am I felt the bus stop meaning we had arrived in Sapa. We were allowed to stay on the bus and continue to sleeping until being picked up for the trek. Around 7 am we gathered our things and stepped off the bus and into a cloud of mist where we were greeted by local woman dressed in traditional clothing. Soon we found our driver and headed through the mist filled city wondering what was on the other side of the white out.

He dropped us off at a hotel and after a quick breakfast, we met our guide for the next three days to explore the Muong Hoa Valley. Our guide was a young lady from the H’Mong tribe dressed in traditional clothing which consisted of a hand made skirt and a beautiful head dress full of color. She was full of smiles, always grinning from ear to ear. 

We left the hotel with a crew of fellow tourists and a handful of local women. The women all had like bright colored head dresses that represented the village and language they spoke. Most were H’Mong and came from Lao Chai and Y Linh Ho (villages we were headed to that day). Some had baskets of goods on their backs and other had the tiniest toddlers tied on with thick blankets and decretive bands. We didn’t realize how much we would need them until we saw the trail we were going down. They led us off the main road onto a path through the terraced rice fields. The path was not the familiar LNT (leave no trace) trails we usually hike on. Instead, you choose your own adventure through the slippery terraced hill sides covered in heaps of mud. Almost everyone on the trip took a spill in the mud. 

Muddy Terraces

A few individuals had the hardest time finding their feet through the terrane. Every time someone slipped and fell the women would laugh hysterically and so did we until we both lost our feet eventually. Our guides ran through the slippery slopes with ease. We must of looked so ridiculous to them, not even being able to manage walking through their land. Every person on the trip ended up holding the hand of these strong ladies down the slopes. Some guides got taken out by people who kept falling flat on their backs. I held the hand of my lady more then I have ever held Austin’s hand. Austin held the hand of the oldest lady on the trip who spoke little to no english. They just laughed together as they tried to communicate through sign language and pointing. By the time we reached the bottom of the hill, everyone was covered in mud! The whole experience was very entertaining for everyone involved. 

At a rest stop, the guides whipped together little horse shaped figures made of reeds and gave them to the person they supported down the hill. Before we got to the the lunch spot in their small village, the guides rushed to meet the person they helped the most and pulled out all sorts of hand made goods from their baskets. How could you say no or barter to hard with an old women who held your hand and kept you upright down a mud slide! So of course we bought small hand stitched and dyed fabrics from them. After that point, we learned how much of a target we were for women with things to sell. At lunch, children and older women alike came and put goods in our laps, trying to have us buy something. Austin mastered the art of saying no but I had the hardest time handling their persistence. 

Austin's Helper

After lunch, our head guide introduced us to our new guides from the Red Zao tribe. They had red head dresses and scarves around their chins. I was lucky to talk to a women who had great english. She explained that her tribe had more Chinese blood in them. She also told us about how they used the water buffalo to work the fields and never eat them unless they died on their own. We asked her where the men were because all we saw were women in the fields and hauling wood. The gender roles here are switched, where the women do the bulk of the work earning a wage and the men stay home and take care of the children and cook. When ever we asked our head guide what her husband was doing she would just laugh and say “Oh he at home. Boys are so lazy.” 

Around 4pm we arrived to our stopping point were we stayed on the edge of Ta Van village in Lao Chai. We spent the time before dinner washing shoes, warming up by the fire, drinking tea, and laughing about all the falls that happened through out the day. As night fell, we all made our way around the fire and watch the family prepare our dinner in cast iron dishes over open flames. It was really neat to watch this production as they made rice, spring rolls, an assortment of meats and vegetables, and even tofu with tomatoes. Once it was all cooked, we went outside and sat around a massive table and enjoyed a family style feast. The night carried with plenty of beer and “happy water” (rice wine) over card games and conversation. The husband joined us in festivities and told us about himself, his family, and how to cheers in their villages language. By 10 pm everyone was in bed, exhausted and sore from the long trek through the mountains. 

The next morning, we all enjoyed hot tea and crepes with banana before heading off again for another day of trekking. We headed through Ta Van village to a waterfall in the village of Gaing Ta Chai, home of the Red Zao People. It was a bit foggier than the day before but it was okay because their was plenty to see along the trail. We past many families carrying on with their daily lives, animals grazing, and children waving and saying hello. After the waterfall visit we headed up to lunch where we enjoyed a bowl of soup with an egg on top. Warm soup on a cold day never tasted so good. Once again ladies and children tried to sell us their hand made products as we sat and ate our meal. 

A young girl pulling water buffalo 

Most of the crew only booked a two day tour so after lunch they headed out on a bus.  We continued on with our guide and three other guys from Australia. The rest of the day was spent hiking through the fog heading to Ban Ho where we would spend another night in a home stay with the Tay Tribe. As we got closer to Ban Ho, the fog finally gave way to amazing views of the mountains. We took the “short cut” to the village meaning we walked straight down hill past homes and through rice terraces on muddy slippery paths. We had all become masters of the art of mud sliding with out falling too much at this point. Local kids still ran passed us with flip flops on though.

Once in the valley, we walked to our homestay were we relaxed over tea, beer and happy water until dinner was ready. Being in the valley was nice for the views and warmer weather. Dinner again was amazing, endless rice with spring rolls and another assortment of meat and vegetables. I got stuck under the warmth of the heavy blankets we were given early that night while Austin stayed up playing cards with the Aussies. During the card game sounds of music filled the air, so off in the night the boys went. Austin and his new friends found the source of the music which was a home a few doors down playing karaoke. As they walked up, they were invited in for coffee, beer, and oranges. They quickly joined in with the festivities and singing. A few hours later they made their way back to the home stay where they continued to play cards late into the night. 

 A view of Ban Ho Village in the valley

The next day was beautiful with no fog and warmer weather. Again our morning began with another banana crape breakfast. Afterwards, we headed off to Nam Toong school to have a look and then to a water fall called “the lavie” named by the French. We crossed over a pretty sketchy bridge made of metal that had rusted away in sections, creating holes that you had to walk around carefully. After few minutes at the waterfall, we were off to lunch at the same homestay as the previous night. Once done with our meal, we collected our belongings and headed to a van parked out front which was our ticket back to Sapa. As we headed back to Sapa, we were treated with wonderful views of the mountains covered with terraces and valleys with rushing rivers. On the way, we made a quick stop to pick up a few others and drop off our guide.

Sapa was as we left it a few days earlier, cold and under a white blanket of fog. We walked around for a bit and then found a coffee shop where we enjoyed the warmth of a heater and wifi. We enjoyed another dinner at the hotel, where the whole journey began and waited for our night bus back to Hanoi. In the morning we head to Cat Ba. Two weeks a climbing here we come. Stay tune as I am sure many more adventures await us….

Hanoi

1/30-2/1

Honk Honk

A tuk tuk from Green Climbers home brought us to the bus station where we waited for awhile to catch the international Lao-Thai bus. The bus brought us to the border to the friendship bridge where we got out and checked out of Lao and into Thailand. Once getting through the border with ease we headed to the airport. Opps....six hours early for our flight. We thought it would take much longer to make it from the climbers home to the airport but in fact it only took about 2 hours. So we sat around and waited patiently to head up to Bangkok for our connecting flight to Hanoi.

The view from our hostel

We landed in Bangkok around 11pm and headed to a bench to sleep on for our 7 hour lay over. We finally made it through all the lines and to our gate. (We waited in a ticket line, then a passport check line and finally the security line: totaling around 2.5 hours of lines) 

We finally made it to Vietnam! Once the plane landed we headed into the airport to start the visa process and immigration check. Before arriving we had to apply for the visa and get an approval letter. We presented this to the visa desk and handed over our passports. A few minute wait and a 25 dollar fee for both we had our entry into the country. 

Thanks to a pre booked hostel we had a man with a sign with our names on it waiting for us as we walked out of the airport. A wild 30 minute ride from the airport and through the city of Hanoi ended with us in the busy old quarter. We were located in the heart of chaos. Full of motor bikes and people selling everything from fresh chopped meats to dried fruits. Our hostel was quite nice, focused on young travels looking for a good time. They offered free beer between 7-8 and specials every night in the bar upstairs on the roof top. The view from the top was amazing, a 360 degree of all of Hanoi.

ZOOM ZOOM!

A colorful city

We spent a few days in Hanoi walking about the city streets exploring what it had to offer. We visited a prison museum and war museum. We also cruised around lakes, botanical gardens and temples. Robyn bought a kilo of dried ginger for $4 (worth every penny). We learned quickly that you should never stop moving or make eye contact with anyone selling something in the city.  If you do you will be surrounded by 3 women selling doughnuts, forcing bags into your hands to buy. The streets were loaded with fresh fish, too. Huge catfish were often on display, freshly cut in half.  There were buckets of crab and snails for sale on the street. We saw motor bikes with three halves of pig piled on the drivers lap zooming by. The traffic was the craziest part. There was never a break in the traffic to cross the street. Instead, you had to just walk out into traffic and the bikes would dodge you! Robyn usually did this while saying "Oh God, Oh God" and putting Austin in the line of traffic first. The city was overwhelming but beautiful. The buildings were tall yet skinny and full of color. It was easy to walk to all the museums and attractions with plenty of cool sights along the way. The streets themselves were very clean compared to cities we were in prior.  Constantly people were walking around wheeling giant barrels sweeping up any trash they could find.

Chaos everywher

We even found a brewery, well at least we think. When we walked in they automatically gave us a beer to drink and as we sat down and looked around we noticed a huge brew room attached to the cafe. When it came time to order we had to take our chances and just point to something. We ended up with a tasty chicken soup. A beer and soup for two only cost 53 dong ( just over 2 USD) After a few days, we bought a trip to Sapa in Northern Vietnam to do a three day trek through the mountain villages. Tune in next time for that adventure...