Kohti valoa / Photoblog

There's not much to report after leaving the island of Cat Ba. We decided to rest a couple of days after intense climbing in the Butterfly Valley and travelled more south to a coastal town called Hoi An. This place was recommended to us by a fellow climber in Yangshuo and we decided to check it out before leaving for Saigon.

Hoi An reminds me of Luang Prabang in Laos. This town is little bit bigger but still very similar. It's packed with great restaurants, art, friendly people and colonial architecture. Of course, nothing can beat the laid-back everyday atmosphere of Laos but Hoi An is a good alternative when it comes to lounging in riverside restaurants and enjoying double espressos in cosy coffee houses. If you're travelling along the coast of Vietnam, Hoi An is a good place to stop for a day or two to eat well and relax.

We are now in Saigon and staying here for two days. The streets and alleys of this city are in total chaos caused by millions of motorbikes driving around the town through day and night. The turmoil during the war has now changed to chaos but not without some added charm. Most of the attractions here are still somehow connected to the historical events of Vietnam and the 'American War'.

I wanted to experience the city from a Saigonese perspective and rented a motorbike for a day. It's probably the fastest way to get around in the city - or to the hospital if you lose your focus for a single second. Actually, driving around was quite easy after studying the traffic patterns for a while before hitting the streets. And this is not India, there are actually some sort of traffic rules if you want to follow them. I later discovered that westerners are not allowed to drive without a proper Vietnamese license, so I was lucky not to get caught by the angry-looking police officers standing in street corners.

Tomorrow we are leaving this city and continue our journey to Thailand. The final destination of our trip is a climbing paradise situated at the shores of the Andaman Sea. I'll post some updates if I manage to buy a prepaid sim card from Bangkok.


Hoi An street view.


Old war helmets are popular while driving a motorbike.


Why rush?


Riverside alleys by night.


If I ever buy a motorbike, it's going to be a Minsk.


These legendary bikes are still sold in Vietnam.


Hoi An is very close to the sea so we spent one day at the beach eating mangos.


Saigon was something else.


On guard.


District 1.


Apocalypse Now.


This is the proper way to fix broken wastewater pipes.


Vietnam is the place for fake products. Even fake Coca Cola is sold in street stalls. It's cheaper and refreshing enough to kill the thirst.


Good morning, Vietnam.


And greetings from Helsinki.


US Army Chinook.


Barefoot is better.

Location:Saigon, Đề Thám,Vietnam

The island of Cat Ba is the only inhabited island in Halong Bay and is surrounded by thousands of karst cliffs very similar to Yangshuo. The only difference is that the rice fields and farmers are replaced by sea and fishermen. These limestone towers rise from the waters of Gulf of Tonkin and are accessible only by boat. As most of the climbs in Yangshuo are bolted sport routes, Halong Bay offers some variety for climbers. In addition to sport climbing, Halong Bay is filled with lot's of great deep water soloing. DWS is about climbing routes that are started from a boat and when the route is finished or you fall off, you'll find yourself flying down and trying to hit the water without hurting yourself too much. The scary thing is that most of the routes are close to 17m or higher.

Our journey to Cat Ba was quite pleasant and it took only five hours to travel from Hanoi to Haiphong and further on to Cat Ba. Soon after leaving the port in Haiphong, we found out that the ferry was more like a speed boat after a huge wave hit us while we were sitting outside on the deck. When we arrived to Cat Ba town, we immediatelly went to a local climbing shop and booked a boat for the next day.

I somehow thought that deep water soloing is a relaxing way to enjoy new routes and sunshine but after spending one day out on the sea and climbing these routes, I really think that DWS is one of the scariest forms of climbing I've ever tried. I personally like trad climbing because it's also mentally challenging but this DWS goes way over the line. To make it even worse, most of the DWS routes here are higher than an average sport or trad route in Finland. After each move you have to look down and analyse if you can still make the jump and hit the surface in correct angle. It was still a great experience and we didn't actually hurt us too badly except Teijo who took a fall from ~17m and landed on his ass. Now his backside is full of strange bruising patterns and sitting down seems to be a little problem.

We've spent the last two days climbing normal rock routes in a place called Butterfly Valley after returning to Cat Ba from the boat trip. It's a hidden valley located in the center of this island with 50 bolted routes and stunning scenery. The valley is situated within the national park of Cat Ba, so naturally we must pay daily bribes to access the crag. The money is used for "building new schools and developing the village communities" but nevertheless, the routes are perfect and we're having good time working on hard new projects.


On the way to Cat Ba. Terry and Puise enjoying the sunset.


First karst towers of Halong Bay.


Floating villages.


The Captain of our DWS boat.


Puise and Terry looking for new routes.


Some of the lagoons are accessible only by kayak or swimming.


Teijo working on the last moves of the route before taking a huge fall.


Swimming back to the boat.


Cruising around the bay.


Vietnamese use their legs when rowing a boat.


Our shoes are probably ruined after swimming in the sea. Afterwards we learned that the climbing shop had shoes for rent for two euros.


Butterfly Valley.


The crag seen from the village.


Puise.


This local kid came to say hello and wanted to climb with us.


Taking a fall after failing on the crux move.


Pond Wall.


The view after finishing a route called Elephant Man.

Location:Halong Bay, Vietnam

Everything went almost as planned and after 24 hours of travelling we arrived to Hanoi after being locked in to our train compartment for a couple of hours. To our surprise we were thrown out of the train at 4:30AM somewhere at the outskirts of the city. Without a single dollar or dong in our pockets we somehow managed to pay our taxi fare in Chinese currency and got a ride to the Old Quarters of Hanoi. It was too early to ask for a room so once again we spent the early morning hours on the streets. This time it wasn't as bad as two weeks ago in Moscow because the night was warm and we didn't have to walk around to keep ourselves warm.

After we slept a few hours we entered the chaos of the Old Quarters in search of food to recover from the long journey. We decided to look for a proper Vietnamese restaurant and finally went to a diner called "Highway 4". All the dishes were quite extraordinary and we ended up eating fried crickets over steamed rice. These evil insects were actually quite delicious especially when washed down with a bottle tasty rice wine.

Hanoi is very similar to the other big South-East Asian cities but without any major attractions. That's the reason why we are leaving this place already and have plans to take a boat to an island called Cat Ba. It's one of the few places in Vietnam with bolted climbing and lots of deep water soloing. Tomorrow morning we'll pay a visit to Uncle Ho and then head out to the sea. I'll try post some updates if I manage to get online while staying at Cat Ba.


On the way to the railway station in Nanning.


This is the menu to survive the Chinese railways and a good way to make new friends. Tea, sunflower seeds and rice wine.


We were kicked out the train in the middle of the night. I should study the tricks of Mr.Kerouac more closely next time.


Street hustlers negotiating a deal with Teijo.


Dawn.


Streets of Hanoi.


The Old Quarters.


Our first dinner in Hanoi.


Crickets!


This little lake in the middle of Hanoi is a great place to escape the street madness.


Incense burning at the Buddhist temple.


Reading the international news about True Finns. Vietnam News was also worried about Mr.Soini and his 'jytky'.


According to the locals, this is the cheapest beer in the world. One glass of Bia Hoi costs about 0,15€.


A common sight at the Old Quarters. Bia Hoi barrels being transported..



..to 'beer corners' that can be found everywhere around the city. These junction bars are great places to have a chat with the locals and fellow travellers.


Hoan Kiem and the Asian way of taking a rest.


An easy way to get around in Hanoi is to hire a motorcycle taxi. These guys are easy drivers when compared to Cambodian colleagues.

Location:Hàng Đào,Hanoi,Vietnam