One month in Cat Ba Vietnam

The days and weeks have flown by in the past month. I arrived in Vietnam 3 weeks ago and have spent my time on the island of Cat Ba, most famously known for its close proximity to the UNESCO World Heritage sight of Ha long Bay. I journeyed here for the deep water soloing. Unfortunately the weather is to cold, which came as quit the surprise for I have been nothing but hot in my other travels to southern Asia. I blame this on my lack of research and over zealous optimism. But flexibility is the name of the game, so after one day of DWS I decided that the conditions were much more suited to sport climbing. What I have found on Cat Ba during its low tourist seasons is a cheap, quite and pleasant climbing scene with enough routes to keep me occupied for the month. My mornings are filled with thick Vietnamese coffee, pho (noddle soup) and banana pancakes, followed by a brisk scooter ride with my Canadian partner in crime Gord, to the local crag named Lien Minh. This crag is nestled on the outskirts of a quiet village in the thick of the jungle.

Vietnam's bloody history is eerily evident as we negotiate though the field bordering the cliffs, which are riddled with bomb craters, courtesy of the American government. Cat Ba was an important strategic military location in the war as it served as the first defense against air attacks on the military outpost in Hai Phong. Even though the war is still present in the minds of the older generation, I have not received any hostility due to my nationality.

Gord and I are the only long timers on the island besides the employees of slo pony the one and only guided climbing organization, which means we usually only share the areas with a few people. As of now there are not to many routes but the potential for more is huge. Access is a sensitive issue with the communist government, but with some luck hopefully that will change and route development will become easier. Fortunately Gord and I managed to bolt and clean a new climb which hopefully I will get pictures of. Well that is all for now I will be leaving in a few days for the warm weather in southern Thailand.
Conrad
-side note: Unfortunately along with censoring facebook the Vietnam government feels like me posting pictures is a threat to national security, so i will have to post them in Thailand.