lovetravellingoz
Enthusiast
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2006
- Posts
- 12,711
There are moments in one's travel that make it all worth while. Moments when you gasp in wonder and when your soul is touched deeply.
Visiting Halong Bay was one such time.
The islands here are breathtaking and magnificent.
Literally thousands of small islands in a small area, all steeply rising from the sea in rocky splendour. Very reminiscent of Krabi/Phi Phi in Thailand but orders of magnitude more.
The experience made all the more by visiting them in a timber junk overflowing in character. We had left the mailand as part ofa fleet, but with so many islands despite the lierally hundreds of boats that departed we manged to find times of isolation as well.
It was my family's fortune to spend a memorable Christmas Day visiting the Islands in Halong Bay including some breathtaking caves.
The days sail ended with a stop between Islands for a mid-passage swim with our junk all alone....in a magical setting.
And there are other times when one's travel resolve is tested..
EARNING 3815 KRISFLYER POINTS THE PAINFUL WAY
Paddling out from Cat Ba Island by sea kayak in the early morning on Boxing Day was a glorious experience. The air crisp with a slight mist about.
Paddling along past cliffs and sea-villages of the local fisherman was all a sight to behold as we paddled around various small islands.
Then across to a sandy beach for our party of 9 with guide. The plan was a quick stop to feed some local monkeys before taking a clifftop walk to take in the views.
The guide had brought a small bunch of bananas which were soon dispatched to the hungry group of half a dozen monkeys.
Afterwards we were just then standing talking looking up at the trail which we would soon walk when unexpectedly and suddenly my left hand was full of pain.
The alpha-male of group had leapt at me from the side biting my hand which was at my side.
As I was looking along the beach I did not see him coming. The pain was excruciating and he did not want to let go. Looking down I could see his larger fangs slicing into my flesh and I had to shake the monkey off as he did not want to stop biting.
The attack was unprovoked but my hand was now sporting a number of deep and shallow teeth wounds.
One advantage of being at the beach was that I could wash my hand immediately (which is the best thing to do for treatment in countries where animals can have rabies...and of which Vietnam is such a country). I followed this with a dose of alcohol from a bottle obtained from a villager at the beach.
Being a country with active rabies cases, even though the monkey did look not look rabid it meant that I had to seek out treatment for rabies is a disease that once you show symptoms for there is no known cure. So you need to seek immediate vaccination as symptoms can occur anywhere from 1 days to a year.
So back to Hanoi and a series of injections. The first night that was SEVEN injections (5 of human rabiesimmune globulin (or HRIG), one tetanus shot and one rabies vaccination (with another 4 to later follow). All in all and I felt like a pin cushion. A follow up vaccination is required at days 3, 7, 14 and 28.
Four of the seven where into the hand and I cannot recommend this treatment to anyone. Two of them were directly through the the two deepest teeth marks . These 4 were the HRIG and in all 4 cases the injection site had then to be massaged to work the HRIG in. The two deeper injections and massage was about as painful as the original bight!!!!
The cost of this initial treatment? $2543!!! ...and another demonstration of the worth of travel insurance. My claim was approved over the phone with me to be reimbursed later.
So with payment on my Krisflyer Amex it was painful way to earn an unexpected 3815 points!!!! Don't try this at home though...
Visiting Halong Bay was one such time.
The islands here are breathtaking and magnificent.
Literally thousands of small islands in a small area, all steeply rising from the sea in rocky splendour. Very reminiscent of Krabi/Phi Phi in Thailand but orders of magnitude more.
The experience made all the more by visiting them in a timber junk overflowing in character. We had left the mailand as part ofa fleet, but with so many islands despite the lierally hundreds of boats that departed we manged to find times of isolation as well.
It was my family's fortune to spend a memorable Christmas Day visiting the Islands in Halong Bay including some breathtaking caves.
The days sail ended with a stop between Islands for a mid-passage swim with our junk all alone....in a magical setting.
And there are other times when one's travel resolve is tested..
EARNING 3815 KRISFLYER POINTS THE PAINFUL WAY
Paddling out from Cat Ba Island by sea kayak in the early morning on Boxing Day was a glorious experience. The air crisp with a slight mist about.
Paddling along past cliffs and sea-villages of the local fisherman was all a sight to behold as we paddled around various small islands.
Then across to a sandy beach for our party of 9 with guide. The plan was a quick stop to feed some local monkeys before taking a clifftop walk to take in the views.
The guide had brought a small bunch of bananas which were soon dispatched to the hungry group of half a dozen monkeys.
Afterwards we were just then standing talking looking up at the trail which we would soon walk when unexpectedly and suddenly my left hand was full of pain.
The alpha-male of group had leapt at me from the side biting my hand which was at my side.
As I was looking along the beach I did not see him coming. The pain was excruciating and he did not want to let go. Looking down I could see his larger fangs slicing into my flesh and I had to shake the monkey off as he did not want to stop biting.
The attack was unprovoked but my hand was now sporting a number of deep and shallow teeth wounds.
One advantage of being at the beach was that I could wash my hand immediately (which is the best thing to do for treatment in countries where animals can have rabies...and of which Vietnam is such a country). I followed this with a dose of alcohol from a bottle obtained from a villager at the beach.
Being a country with active rabies cases, even though the monkey did look not look rabid it meant that I had to seek out treatment for rabies is a disease that once you show symptoms for there is no known cure. So you need to seek immediate vaccination as symptoms can occur anywhere from 1 days to a year.
So back to Hanoi and a series of injections. The first night that was SEVEN injections (5 of human rabiesimmune globulin (or HRIG), one tetanus shot and one rabies vaccination (with another 4 to later follow). All in all and I felt like a pin cushion. A follow up vaccination is required at days 3, 7, 14 and 28.
Four of the seven where into the hand and I cannot recommend this treatment to anyone. Two of them were directly through the the two deepest teeth marks . These 4 were the HRIG and in all 4 cases the injection site had then to be massaged to work the HRIG in. The two deeper injections and massage was about as painful as the original bight!!!!
The cost of this initial treatment? $2543!!! ...and another demonstration of the worth of travel insurance. My claim was approved over the phone with me to be reimbursed later.
So with payment on my Krisflyer Amex it was painful way to earn an unexpected 3815 points!!!! Don't try this at home though...
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