12/10/13 - 14/10/13 Ba Be

We woke up in our little bungalow in Ba Be. Greg didn't feel so brilliant so we thought it was time to have a quiet day. We had breakfast in the restaurant next door and Greg decided it's time to give the bikes a little TLC. We still wanted to see a little bit of Ba Be, so the plan was to rent a motorbike from the hotel. The guy at reception, Mr Tanh, looked at us and decided that we are definitely to big and heavy to share one bike. I wasn't bothered, so Greg went on his own for an hour. We had dinner in the restaurant next door.

During the night, I started to feel unwell and was sick in early morning and until lunch time that day. Another day off. Also we discovered that we didn't have enough cash to pay for the hotel bill; the nearest ATM is in a little town about 15km from Ba Be. Greg rented the motorbike for another hour and went to ATM which wasn't working. The day was pretty uneventful, so we planned to stay one more night and see a bit more of Ba Be the next day. In the morning Greg went again back to the ATM but it was still not working, so he went to the bank and they promised that the ATM was going to be filled in the afternoon.

Mr Tanh, who we got friendly with over the past days, organised a boat trip down the river and on Ba Be lake. It lasted for about 5 hours and we saw everything there was to see - the Duon Cave (which was full of squealing bats!), the Dau Bang waterfall, the fairy pool and much more. Was a nice day and I am glad we saw a bit more of Ba Be than just a bungalow, a restaurant and one dusty road. We moved to the main building that evening in to one of the hotel rooms which were cheaper. Also Greg rented a motorbike for one last try to get some cash. He was successful and took Mr Tanh for a celebratory Hanoi beer!

Home for a few days

Greg's toolkit

Lunch! Some Vietnamese sticky rice thingy in bamboo.

Greg's ride to Cho Ra, nearest ATM.

Boat tour round the river and lake.

Just about to enter Dong Puong, a massive cave.

Beautiful and a bit creepy.

All you can hear is bats in every corner.

Water buffaloes having a wash in the river

Thick jungle all around us.

Small sun-dried lake fish for a local speciality.

On the way to the waterfall

Small little temple on a little island on the lake.

On the cycle back to the hotel.