End of an Empire

In the era of discount domestic flights, travellers to England (even on very short trips) now have few excuses for venturing outside of London.

On our recent trip to Europe we had a few days in London, so I dragged my partner to England's very north. Northumberland County (which borders Scotland) happens to be where my grandfather was born and raised, and also home to Hadrian's Wall.

(Housetead’s Fort – particularly isolated)

Spanning 118 kilometres across some of Britain’s most beautiful countryside, Hadrian’s Wall once represented the Roman Empire's power in Britain. 2000 years and a UNESCO World Heritage listing later, Hadrian's Wall continues to serve as a brilliant monument to one of the world’s greatest civilisations.

Sadly, we didn't have enough time to walk the length of the wall (there were many other things on my Northumberland to do list), so we headed straight to Houseteads. We ventured here because it is the best preserved of all the outposts along the wall, and provides the best insight into how the Romans lived.

Of course, England turned on its best weather as we were approaching – drizzling rain and a strong wind made it bitterly cold out on the fort. Not that the weather was going to deter me. I was thankful for my waterproof pants and shoes and gortex jacket that the Romans certainly never had.

The museum at the site provides a short historical over-view, which helps put what you are about to see into context. Using some imagination and the help of signs posted around the fort, it is possible to imagine how the Romans lived during their time in Britain (Houseteads is believed to have been built around AD124).

(Signs help explain what you are looking at. This was a particularly impressive piece of engineering).

Sadly, it was far too cold to let the mind wander for too long. Within half an hour we were frozen to the core and it was time for the 10 minute walk back to the car to defrost in that wonderful invention – air-conditioning.

Cat Ba Island - Halong Bay

Look at any itinerary for a visit to the north of Vietnam and it will almost certainly include a trip to the famed Halong Bay. Visiting in the winter months can see the beauty of the area shrouded in fog, and for backpackers who have invested money that is in short supply that is can be devastating. An alternative is a visit to Cat Ba Island, the largest of the 3,000 island that rise from Halong Bay.

We visited the area during the Vietnamese winter (between December and March) and had heard reports of travelers paying for an overnight boat-trip in the Bay only to see very little due to poor visibility and spend the evenings freezing cold. Not inspired by this, we instead opted to go straight to Cat Ba, which is often included on the second day of packages purchased in traveler cafes in Hanoi.

Getting to Cat Ba Island is quite easy on your own, no tours or guides are necessary.

From Hanoi, you need to make your way to Haiphong where the ferries leave for the island. We opted for an afternoon train ride from Hanoi, such that we arrived in Haiphong in the evening, stayed overnight to ensure we would be on the first ferry in the morning. Aside from the joys of negotiating a ferry ticket the journey was pain free.

We were greeted by a number or representatives from the guesthouses opposite the ferry dock. As it was the low season we were able to negotiate a large room with water views for under $10 US a night.

The advantage of being on the island and having water views was that we were able to avoid the cold and rain, and watch the fog lift and then descend again from the comfort of our room, which was truly beautiful. The limestone casts which the area is famous for are amazing and worthy of their UNESCO World Heritage listing.

While on Cat Ba, hire a moto driver and head out to Cat Ba National Park. There’s plenty of wildlife to spot and some great walks. Be careful if visiting after rain, as there is a steep climb and the track can get quite muddy. I managed to fall on the flat part of track after climbing back down much to the amusement of my partner and the moto driver watching on!

While in the park, Hospital Cave is a must.

Hospital Cave (as the name suggests) is a Cave that was used by the Viet Cong as a hospital during the Vietnam War. Visitors are guided through the Cave by a former soldier who served here. He has limited English, but that only adds to the experience.

The island is also home to beautiful beaches, Cat Ba Co 1, 2 and 3. We were fortunate enough to see sunny skies on our last day and headed down to the beach. They were the nicest we saw in Vietnam (and we did check out a number of spots including the tourist hot-spot Nha Trang) and because of the season we had the beaches to ourselves.

A great way to end out two month journey through Vietnam.

Cat Ba Sunset from our hotel window