Not Approved by LP

Finally made it back to CatBa after a few months absence. The place has changed a lot since then, sadly there are exceptions, dire internet speeds being one.

Anyway arrived at the Chinese border crossing early to be ready for the 8am opening, along with the rest of the Chinese population plus their bags, total mayhem, worst, I could have stayed in bed longer. But despite the confusion, pushing and elbows ( queing sadly not in the Chinese make up ), did finally get out the country and thru Viet immigration without a hitch. Walked out of customs, jumped on a motorbike, jumped off, onto a bus to Haiphong, how easy. There was a boat later but chose the bus for a 6 hour ride. Scenery nothing special and first bit of excitement was being stopped by the police. I think our oil change was out of date as we had to go to a garage and get that changed !.

The road in definite need of a serious upgrade, a narrow country road full of huge container trucks from or going to the port. A good dose of vehicles upside down, mangled pedal bikes etc, Vietnam looking very 3rd world after China. And one town a good contender for most polluted place on the planet. A coal mining place but certainly wouldn’t have to look far for the coal, the road or people’s gardens have a few years supply.

Arrived Haiphong and my luck held. Off the bus onto a motorbike, off the motorbike onto a bus, off the bus onto a boat, off the boat onto a bus, off the bus into a hotel. I doubt any of the changeovers took longer than a minute. Travel has become too easy !!.

First change I noticed here is now how many foreigners there are now, obviously “discovered” and now moving into the backpacker big league rather than just a stopover place on a tour. So tourism moving up a gear and the hoteliers happy. Plenty of other changes including now having to wear crash helmets, the carefree days look like coming to an end.

So this years’ travel now at an end and effectively this trip. Now it will be a bit of relaxation and being busy doing nothing, at least too busy for these internet speeds.

And what a great trip it has been and recommend it to anyone. Happy Christamas and New Year.

Finally at an end, or at least think this is. I assume this place is near the Vietnamese border which I hope to cross tomorrow. However the LP info ends at Beihai and if there are details about crossing the border they are not in my remnants and so basically clueless. And in an English free zone.

The bus down here a straight forward 4 hour trip but nothing of interest. Dongxing itself seems quite a fair size city and modern and must be near Vietnam as the writing in Viet and Chinese. If nothing else lots of hotels and the cheapest oranges in China so can’t be that bad.

So hopefully tomorrow will be in Vietnam, just hope its ok for foreigners to enter here and don’t get too much of a run around, I think Vietnam has improved to the old days but this certainly isn’t Hanoi. And don’t have a guidebook or map so wil be hit and miss.

Sad to be leaving China, been top notch with lots of great places and people and can’t wait to come back.

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