After spending the night on Cat Ong, our 'private' island, we got up early for breakfast in the main building. Just like dinner the night before, breakfast was very good. We were served chocolate pancakes and lots of fruits. We then prepared for a hike on the island of Cat Ong. The goal was hiking to two viewpoints. Since the beach is not that long, we were ascending in the jungle before someone could snap his fingers. It was crazy hot already and it was not even midday yet. The fact that it rained during the night did not make the climb easier. I'm always glad I have proper walking shoes with me for hiking because I would not be happy if I only had my flip-flops with me that day. The first viewpoint was on the eastern side of the island and offered some beautiful views on the little islands and rocks that lay further out in the sea.

Great views from the first viewpoint

The second viewpoint was higher and was located a bit on the southern side. From there you could see the entire island at 360 degrees. We also had a good view of Cat Ba island, which is the biggest island of Ha Long Bay. The views were amazing, but we did not last very long since it was very hot where we stood. There was absolutely no shade to be found. I don't think I ever sweated more in my life than during that hike. It was literally pouring from my body like a river. I was surprised my camera survived because I always keep it in my hands during hikes.

Second one was not so bad either!

Cat Ba island in the dinstance

After the hike, the guys who booked the 2 days tour boarded the boat again and left us. For the afternoon there was no program and we just lay on the beach and canoed around the island (and again mine was taking water). It was a longer paddle than we expected and the sea was pretty 'rough' on the longer sides of the island. However, I did manage to see a big jellyfish I told you about in my previous blog. At first, I thought it was a brown-grayish plastic bag floating in the sea, but when I got closer I recognized it. From all the jellyfishes I've seen, this was definitely the less beautiful kind of jellyfish.

Shot of Cat Ong from the 'top' and the beach we spend our afternoon

Later that day we hiked to the other side of the island to watch the sunset. We crossed the jungle and ended up on another beach on the north-western side of the island. The view was really great until some big clouds blocked it at the last moment :( When we got back to the main building for dinner, the new group had arrived. Fresh from the boat. We enjoyed a great dinner again and then went for the beers.

Sunset beach

Damn those clouds

Before I stop writing I want to share with you how we experienced the cottages on Cat Ong. It was practically a big house for an average of 6 persons (although we were with 7). We had 3 single beds, a two-person bed and 2 mattresses on the floor near the entrance. It was fine for the price we paid. It was clean enough but a bit moist (but everything is in the end due to the climate). There were some fans and I suggest you use them since it pretty hot during the night and it helps to keep the mosquitos away. Definitely bring mosquito repellent for the night (and for the hikes in the jungle). We had the windows and doors closed when we were not in the cottage and that definitely helped to keep them outside. Aside from the temperature and the mosquitos, the place was fine for the 2 nights we spend there.

On the last day of our tour, we went hiking on Cat Ba, the biggest island of Ha Long Bay. So stay tuned!

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