Hiking, Monkey Island 3 and Karaoke

All refreshed on the 22nd October we set off for a great hike to Navy Peak in Cat ba Island National Park. The path had barely been improved for tourists - the odd handrail at some of the precipices was the only bit of reassurance the worrying members of our troop had. The climb to the very top was avoided by many due to the sheer drop, moving rocks underfoot and the ridges of razor-sharp rocks we had to walk on. It was totally worth it though! From the top there were beautiful views across what looked like a mountain range, but was actually the sheer sides of the many islands. After the decent we hung out in a small fishing village whilst awaiting our bus. [i have a good pic of this but once again blogger is blocked!]

 

We took an afternoon trip by way of floating villages to Monkey Island. Finally at Monkey Island number three we got to actually see some monkeys! Martin and I took a kayak from there out between the islands and tried to land on the rockpile with a lighthouse. There are reason rocks like this have lighthouses - it was peppered with sharp seashells embedded in the rock which sliced into our hands and feet. For the first time this holiday we had to abandon our quest (to reach the lighthouse), scramble back into our kayak and set course back to Monkey Island.

 

Conveniently that evening dinner finished just before Bia Hoi o'clock, so dutifully we all walked acros the road from our hotel and indulged. Our tour guides had insisted we joined them in a karaoke bar that evening to hear their renditions of various songs. Nick and Louise's guide was quite good but ours completely sucked, and once we had finally wrestled the mic off him he kept coming back to scream down the mic and ruin what I'm sure must have been the harmony of angels courtesy of Martin and I! After everyone got fed up of our numerous renditions of Sonny (how is this possible?!) we headed to the waterfront to the surprise of the woman who owned the little bar. For once we had been telling the truth yesterday when we said we didn't want a drink right then but would come back tomorrow - unbelievers!