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Travellive 5 - 2018

Dear valued readers, Summer is no doubt the most fun and vibrant season of the year, when you can enjoy long vacations to pristine beaches or explore nature’s magnificent beauty. It is also the perfect season for families to spend quality time together, and expand your children's views of the world by taking them to places where they can discover new things. Travellive invites you to welcome back Mr. Harry Trung, his loving family and their little girl in their amazing 30-day journey in Cat Ba. We have also picked out a list of stunning coastal resorts for you and your family to enjoy this summer. Summer is also the perfect time for more adventurous travelers to go on long journeys to far-flung corners of the Earth. Join two friends in their incredible cycling trip through Central Asian Tajikistan to conquer a famous moutain range known as “the roof of the world". But perhaps, the height of any mountain or the depth of any abyss is nothing compared to the vast spaces of one’s soul and heart. Follow the journey of travel blogger Huyen Chi to Phuktal, where she touched the heart of Northern India – a mysterious spiritual world hidden deep within the majestic Himalayas. We wish you a fantastic summer. EDITORIAL BOARD

Dear valued readers,
Summer is no doubt the most fun and vibrant season of the year, when you can enjoy long vacations to pristine beaches or explore nature’s magnificent beauty. It is also the perfect season for families to spend quality time together, and expand your children's views of the world by taking them to places where they can discover new things.
Travellive invites you to welcome back Mr. Harry Trung, his loving family and their little girl in their amazing 30-day journey in Cat Ba. We have also picked out a list of stunning coastal resorts for you and your family to enjoy this summer.
Summer is also the perfect time for more adventurous travelers to go on long journeys to far-flung corners of the Earth. Join two friends in their incredible cycling trip through Central Asian Tajikistan to conquer a famous moutain range known as “the roof of the world". But perhaps, the height of any mountain or the depth of any abyss is nothing compared to the vast spaces of one’s soul and heart. Follow the journey of travel blogger Huyen Chi to Phuktal, where she touched the heart of Northern India – a mysterious spiritual world hidden deep within the majestic Himalayas.
We wish you a fantastic summer.
EDITORIAL BOARD

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78<br />

TRAVELLIVE<br />

Additional information<br />

Get there<br />

ñ You can take a direct Daichi Group bus<br />

from the Old Quarter in Hanoi to Cat Ba<br />

National Park or Cat Ba Town for only<br />

200,000 VND/person. If you want to travel<br />

by car, first drive from Hanoi to Hai Phong,<br />

then continue on to the sea bridge to cross<br />

Cat Hai Island to the Got ferry station. From<br />

here, it takes about 10 minutes to get to Cai<br />

Vieng ferry station. From Cai Vieng, drive<br />

for about 10 km to the Cat Ba National<br />

Park. Total travel time is about 3.5 hours to<br />

4 hours. Please note that the ferry runs on<br />

even hours, so get to the ferry on time to<br />

avoid waiting.<br />

Stay<br />

ñ You can find many hotels to stay in Cat<br />

Ba Town for an affordable rate. But to<br />

truly experience the forest, you should<br />

choose to stay at the villa in Cat Ba National<br />

Park. Contact the park management for<br />

reservations.<br />

Eat<br />

ñ There are many dining options in town,<br />

but if you stay at the villa in the park, their<br />

communal cafeteria is the most convenient<br />

option. If you go further for about 1.2<br />

km, you can find a restaurant at Hoi Lake<br />

Farmstay or at the 24rest Ecologic near<br />

Trung Trang Cave.<br />

Itinerary<br />

ñ We chose to spend a whole month here,<br />

but you could spend at least a week. If you<br />

have limited time, arrange at least four or<br />

five days for the children to enjoy the trip.<br />

Cost<br />

ñ A villa at the park costs between 400,000<br />

to 1,000,000 VND depending on the season.<br />

In addition to the villa option, you can stay<br />

at their communal house for a lower rate.<br />

It costs 200,000 VND/person for a Daichi<br />

a bus ride from Hanoi to Cat Ba National<br />

Park (if your child can sit on your laps, it is<br />

usually free). A meal at the National Park<br />

costs around 50,000 VND/person, while at<br />

other restaurants in the area, it is around<br />

100,000 VND/person. If you eat in town,<br />

the cost can be higher ranging from 200,000<br />

- 400,000 VND for a family of 2 adults and<br />

1 child. Admission tickets to enter Ngu Lam<br />

Peak, Ao Ech, and Trung Trang Cave cost<br />

40,000 VND/person each. If you are a family<br />

of 2 adults and 1 child, the total cost for a<br />

4-day and 3-night journey is about 4,000,000<br />

- 5,000,000 VND.<br />

When to go<br />

ñ You can visit Cat Ba National Park any<br />

time since there is always something<br />

interesting for you and your family to<br />

explore, but summer time is an ideal time.<br />

Cat Ba is cooler during other seasons, so<br />

warm clothing is essential for the children.<br />

Summer is also the peak season, and<br />

services may be overloaded.<br />

The story of the sea<br />

Cat Ba is an island surrounded<br />

by many other small islands.<br />

After the jungle trip, we took Oc<br />

back to town, and went to the<br />

white sandy Cat Co 3 Beach. We<br />

had both cool breezy days, and<br />

beautiful sunny days. Regardless<br />

of the weather, Oc loved<br />

spending time near the sea.<br />

Oc was bolder than on previous<br />

trips, and was no longer afraid<br />

of the water. On days when<br />

the water was colder, Oc still<br />

headed to the sea, jumped into<br />

it, and played there until she<br />

got tired. Her fun activities<br />

include throwing stones into the<br />

sea, crawling across the sandy<br />

beach like a turtle, building<br />

sand castles, and getting her feet<br />

buried in the sand.<br />

We hired a motorbike to explore<br />

around the island, and ended<br />

up finding a beautiful secluded<br />

beach located in Hien Hao<br />

Commune, close to the junction<br />

where a coastal road takes you<br />

to town and one takes you to the<br />

Cat Ba National Park.<br />

We decided to bring our things<br />

there to camp. While her mother<br />

got her book out to read, Oc and<br />

I did some fun activites together.<br />

We went to find dry branches to<br />

make a fire, catch sea snails on<br />

the rocks, and look for crabs on<br />

the beach. The beach is a large<br />

mudflat, where the tide recedes<br />

early in the morning leaving<br />

many different marine<br />

species stranded on shore. We<br />

also played in the mud. It was<br />

Oc's first time playing in the<br />

mud, and she absolutely loved<br />

it. We later went to find all<br />

different kinds of shells for Oc<br />

to collect. It was important to me<br />

to teach Oc about the worlds of<br />

natural life.

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