|
Taking a ride on a car or train for two hours
from Hanoi to Hai Phong, then on a high-speed
vessel for another hour, you will arrive at Cat
Ba Island, the biggest island (100 sq. km) out
of the 366 islands on the Lan Ha Bay. It is a
tourist spot, attractive for its natural beauty
and wonders endowed by nature.
Right from the
moment you set foot on Cat Ba gangway, looking
afar to contemplate the enchanting scenery of
immense sky and magnificent mountains and
breathing the fresh air from the sea, you will
feel comfortable and your tiredness after a long
trip will disappear. Surely, you want to go on
with your journey at once.
 You
should hire a Minsk motorbike, out of 400
motorbikes and cars here, to ride to any place
you want to visit. First of all, you should rent
a room in a hotel, because the hotels on this
island are often overcrowded due to the
ever-increasing number of visitors to Cat Ba
Island, although more hotels and hostels are
being built. It is very pleasant to stay in a
hotel, whose back leans against the mountain and
its face looks towards the sea, and enjoy the
fresh air and beautiful scenery around.
Visiting
the large beaches of Cat Co and Cat Dua, which
are separated by a small range of mountain, you
can swim in the blue and warm water, so clear
that you can see the golden sand beneath.
If
you do not want to swim at this crowded place,
you can hire a motor boat to sail to the small
islets, where there are calm and clean beaches,
such as the Cat Trai Gai, Duong Gianh and Hien
Hao. The mountain adjacent to Cat Co Beach has a
tunnel and fascinating caves and grottoes, such
as Hang Luon, Khe Sau, Trung Trang, Gia Luan and
Kim Cuong. Visiting these caves and grottoes you
will get the feeling of the explorers,
discovering the wonders and mysteries endowed by
nature.
Coming
out of the caves and grottoes you should spend a
little time to contemplate the sunset over Lan
Ha Bay. On the golden background of the horizon
and the dark blue of the sea, the heaving islets
become multiform, the white sea-gulls hover and
sea-eagles make circles in the sky, all
beautifying the immense and fascinating space,
and enchanting the visitors. |
