Quan Ba Market

After jolly hard climbingtons I could have done with a lie in but was due a 7.30am start to visit the tribes peoples' market at Quan Ba.

I slipped and broke my camera on the way down from Mt Fansipan which was a total ballache. Chan our guide offered to sell me one second hand and although I could probably have got it cheaper on e bay, I snapped his hand off due to the convenience factor.

Things I didn't mention about the climb is that conquering Mt Fansipan is a massive, big deal to the Vietnamese city folk. They consider it a dangerous and exciting thing to do and many groups of young professionals make the trip. When they reach the summit they plant a national flag, crack open the bubbly and sport a Vietnamese T-shirt, a sea of crimson sky and golden stars. I was pretty glad they were all so slow; it meant I got my photo opportunity before they arrived on mass.

I met some really nice people on the way up, notably a group who called themselves  'make leo not war', leo is Vietnamese for climb. I hung out with them whilst I waited for my group to arrive, they were really easy going, offered me wine and gave me a members' badge!

I didn't warm so much to my group although I felt obliged to join them when they eventually turned up. They didn't make much effort to talk to me and they dropped litter!!!! (Total no-no in Adilady land).

Still, I don't speak Vietnamese and they had no obligations to chat to little old me. However, when Chan dropped the camera off the next day he totally slagged them off. He said he had never led such an ignorant, rude bunch in all his days. I guess Dr Gra-e-me would say that hospital doctors are universally a bunch of twats lol.

Chan wants to come and work for a year in the UK to raise money for a language school. He is such a bright guy but happy to do any menial job to enable him to send money home. He was asking my advice but I know fook all about work visas etc. I think times are tough for many folk in Vietnam too, they just hide it better than their neighbouring countries.

So after I had bought my camera from Chan the mini bus arrived to take me to the market. They were a really friendly bunch. 2 girls from Rochdale, a woman from Oxford, Steve the yank, Rainelle from Seattle, Christine the Dane and Eden from Israel. Of course they were all in their twenties but my oldness didn't seem to bother them and we swapped travellers' stories (get me! Adilady is a bone fide  travelling bird!)

I hung out with Steve and Christine. Ate rank, local, grizzle balls and took photos of the Hmong with my new camera that I have no frigging idea how to use! Selection below...

Steve is a travel writer and I have arranged to meet up with him for dinner in Cat Ba tomorrow, which I was looking forward to. However, I waited for my train back to Hanoi with Rainelle who totally slagged Steve off for being an arrogant bullshitter; I will make up my own mind.

When travellers hook up for too long it can get really bitchy. I noticed it in Myanmar on the package tour; people try to draw you in and make camps. I'm like, 'hey leave me out of it, I'm just here to see pagodas, avoid shopping and trek.' Seems like the school yard is never left far behind...

So what made Adilady happy today? Well after a 13 hour train, coach, ferry, minibus journey to Cat Ba I arrived at my hotel and the room is fabuloso. Huge (2 double beds), AC that neither leaks nor clangs, a power shower (hours of endless fun) and look at my view! 50 quid for 4 nights, I love Agoda.

I was so overwhelmed to get rid of the mouldy meat pie and Bovril gravy odour that I even donned some make up and almost felt like a sexy bird. All that was missing was a good waxing, I'm a wee bit hairy at the moment, so I went to downtown Cat Ba in search. There is definitely a niche in the market for a decent hair removal service here. I did try several massage parlours but only succeeded in creating mirth and merriment with my woeful, waxing mime. I don't know who was laughing hardest, them at my mime or me at their mirth:)

Anyway hairy and semi-sexy I went in search of dinner but the whole place was deserted so there was nobody about to appreciate my efforts. I'm now back in my room at 8pm after a meal of guaranteed freshly caught fish which I saw being 'freshly caught' straight from the freezer. Rock climbing tomorrow with an early start. Some bookage, bloggingtons then bed methinks, Adi lady over and out xxxx