Hai Phong

Arrived 8/7/2011

Not sure if I’m doing this part of the trip the right way around and very unsure how things will pan out but oh well, I’ll find out on the way.  Heading out to see Cat Ba and Ha Long Bay area and have been told by a few locals to go to Ha Long Bay first and get a ferry out from there or jump on a pre-arranged tour but that’s not cycle touring.  Don’t really have much idea how the ferry works from Hai Phong.  Checked out the ferry dock today and had people coming up trying to sell me tickets for 200,000dong seemed pretty expensive and I have read you can buy your ticket on the ferry.  Hard to know.  Then later while wandering down the street a lady came up and started talking to me.  Got onto the subject of going to Cat Ba and she also could sell tickets… hmmm.  Then she said Cat Ba is expensive over the weekend.  It will be interesting to find out.

Anyway so a funny experience on my way along the ugly 100km industrial main road to Hai Phong... a haircut.  My mop was getting to long and hot so I thought it was time to cut it.  Just pulled over to a local hairdresser along the road and gave the old scissor gesture.  All going well, a nice short cut and I was pretty impressed at her skill not to stab me with the sporadic tooting from passing trucks, buses and motorbikes.  Things started to get a little crazy when a razor (old school single blade razor) was pulled out to trim a few edges, my forehead, my ears (those fine hairs you have – I was pretty nervous when she was doing this), just below my eyes and then she wanted to give me full shave.  I had shaved the night before it wasn’t that bad!!! No thank-you, no, I shaved yesterday, no I need to go now!  A very entertaining $2!