(written on Thursday, September 23, 2010)
Sitting on the small boat leaving Castaway Island. Yesterday was so relaxing. After breakfast (where most people were suffering from the night before), we said goodbye to our one-night friends (which included Hannah, Lynn, James and Simon) and transferred to the small boat. One hour later we arrived on the beach of Castaway Island. The island is very basic – even more basic than I was expecting. The huts are basically elevated wood planks as a floor with a triangle bamboo roof (with waterproofing) and some thin mattresses with mosquito nets, completely open on the sides to the outside air and lacking electricity. The bathrooms, a short walk away were shower/sink/toilet combinations, but at least the toilets were Western (with toilet paper, but of course lacking soap).
A small lunch of bread, ham, tomatoes, cucumbers and noodles (of which I really only had bread and noodles) at noon was our only sustenance until dinner. I had a great conversation with Caroline and John (from the UK but Caroline is living in Singapore). The rest of the day was ours to relax, kayak, go wake boarding or banana boating, sleep, play volleyball, etc. Since I’d planned on spending a low-key day in Hanoi and decided that Halong Bay would be quieter, I took the time to just chill out. Little writing, some great conversations with new friends, walking on the beach.
Dinner exceeded my expectations – a huge spread of barbequed meat, chicken and calamari, plus spring rolls, rice, cabbage, French fries. Two hours after dinner the drinking games started (Roxanne, beer pong tournament, some four card game and never have I ever). The beer pong tournament was entertaining as I was the only American left (since Hannah and James were gone) and most people hadn’t played before. Brett and John (the one travelling with Caroline), whose team was called “I’m on a boat mother fucker” beat Sandy and Louise (two of Carlie’s friends) in the finals. Brett was so excited that he jumped with on the table while his theme song played in the background. Like the previous night, I wasn’t interested in playing but didn’t want to be anti-social, so Jona came up with a solution: every time I was supposed to drink I would get up and do a dance. So I broke out the dance moves – dancing queen, Thriller, Macarena, Grease, chicken dance, etc. It turned into a fun evening and I was able to provide the group entertainment without getting trashed.
The last activity of the evening was skinny dipping, so I decided to sit it out and get ready for bed. I know it may seem like I was a party-pooper (or at least that’s what I felt other people thought) but I had a fabulous day doing exactly what I wanted. And I think that maybe, especially after my dance moves, some of the group had a different appreciation for me even though I wasn’t participating in all the activities. I’m glad that I continue to be who I am without feeling like I need to impress others. Sitting next to Darren and John on the boat right now, I know that I’ve made some great friends in that process.
(written later in the day)
We arrived on the main boat to take us back to Halong City, and joined the one-nighters as the two-nighters boarded our small boat for Castaway Island. The process continues day-in, day-out. It was raining, so I spent my time in the dining room looking out the windows and writing. We transferred from the boat to the small boat to take us to shore and stood around for 45 minutes waiting for the bus. Most people slept on the ride back. I dozed a bit and listened to music. When we got back to the hostel we all said our goodbyes and headed different directions. Sadly, no one going is to Sapa. I showered and repacked my large bag (including my freshly cleaned clothes since Vietnam has actually heard of weight-based laundry) and then finally got my China blog online before heading out for the train station.
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