After diner there really wasn't much to do except read or play games - which we didn't bring so we head to our cabin on the first floor. I was quite tired and fell asleep about 9:55 and I usually go into a deep sleep right away. And Lauren was up reading. About 30 minutes later Lauren wakes me up to inform me that she hears rats or mice in the walls. I listen and too hear rats squeaking and like gnawing at the walls right on the other side of the wall where our heads a re. This would be close to one of Lauren's worst nightmares, so I suggest to her to put her head on the other side of the bed as she does.Then we hear the rats run - run through the walls and on the ceiling. Although I wasn't perfectly pleased it didn't bother me as long as I didn't see them. So she said what should we do? I didn't really think we could do anything but t the boat was full, it was late and there was nothing for us to do/go. So I put my earplugs in and my eye shade on as Lauren was adamant to lie there awake all night terrified of them coming out of somewhere. It was difficult to sleep as there was a boat near by doing karaoke and I had been so startlingly awoken. I slept some but no deep sleep and did continue to hear the rats until we finally got up about 7.
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| caves |
It was misty/foggy and since no one told us what time breakfast was... actually let me step back no one told us anything.The driver who driver 3+ hours from Hanoi and then back again to the Hanoi airport didn't speak a word of English. There was a group of 5 Germans and they had a tour guide that spoke German on the boat and the boat crew could just say the basics, such as what exactly we were eating and some other common phrases. So after breakfast which we were obviously late for, we did explore these amazing caves, then when we returned to the boat, the guy who went kayaking with me asked me how we slept I told him that we didn't. I said rats and then acting out rats and by the look or lack of expression on his fade wasn't at all surprised there were rats in the walls.
at this point we still owed $55 USD of our payment which they had asked for yesterday and in hindsight we were glad that we didn't give it to them yesterday as it was our leverage. We got the manager on the phone which told us it was our fault for not saying something last night and since they did not hear anything from our boat they thought all was fine. We indicated that it was late and we didn't know there was someone on duty 24 hours a day as no one told us anything about this. (the other guests were told that 2 more Germans were joining their boat) We never knew what was going on. No one told us anything. But one of the men who served us food said to me - in broken English and charades) that all 5 crew men need to stay in one room and it's beside the diesel engine which is a horrible smell, so they usually slept in the dinning room and one guy- the captain slept in the small cockpit.
So the guys on board kept telling us that we needed to give the $55 US to them . We initially tried to to say for compensation we shouldn't have to pay the rest. Then the German tour guide got involved and literally said they these these crew members have no money and he was sure between the two of us we had $50. And then said we could go to the ATM when we got off the boat. and we DPT saying no that they need to charge Lauren's credit card which she used to pay for the rest of the trip. As Lauren is going to dispute this.
So finally when they realized we were not budging we docked and someone from the boat company came on and charged Lauren's credit card.
After diner there really wasn't much to do except read or play games - which we didn't bring so we head to our cabin on the first floor. i was quite tired and felll asleep about 9:55 and I usually go into a deep sleep right away. And Lauren was up reading. About 30 minutes later Lauren wakes me up to infrom me that she hears rats or mice in the walls. I listen and too hear rats squeeking and like gnawing at the walls right on the other side of the wall where our heads a re. This would be close to one of Lauren's worst nightmares, so I suggest to her to put her head on the other side of the bed as she does.Then we hear the rats run - run throught othe walls and on the celing. Although I wasn't perfectly pleased it didn't bother me as long as I didn
t see them. So she said what should we do? I didn't really think we could do anything but t the boat was full, it was late and there was nothing for us to do/go. So I put my earplugs in and my eye shade on as Lauren was admannt to lie there awake all night terrified of them coming out of somewhere. It was difficult to sleep as there was a boat near by doing karaoke and I had been so startledly awoken. I slept some but no deep sleep and did continue to hear the rats until we finally got up about 7.
It was misty/foggy and since no one told us what time breakfast was... actually let me step back no one told us anything.The driver who driver 3+ hours from Hanoi and then back again to the Hanoi airport didn't speak a word of English. There was a group of 5 Germans and they had a tour guide that spoke German on the boat and the boat crew could just say the basics, such as what exactly we were eating and some other common phrses. So after breakfast which we were obniously late for, we did explore these amazing caves, then when we returned to the boat, the guy who went kayaking with me asked me how we slept I told him that we didn't. I said rats and then acting out rats and by the look or lack of expression on his fade wasn't at all surprised there were rats in the walls.
at this point we still owed $55 USD of our payment which they had asked for yesterday and inhindsight we were glad that we didn't give it to them yesterday as it was our leverage. We got the manager on the phone which told us it was our fault for not saying something last night and since they did not hear anything from our boat they thought all was fine. We indicated taht it was late and we didn't kow there was someonone on duty 24 hours a day as no one told us anything about this. (the other guests were told that 2 more Germans were joinging their boat) We never knew what was going on. No one told us anything. But one of the men who served us food said to me - in broken English and charades) that all 5 crew men need to stay in one room and it's beside the diesal engine which is a horrible smell, so they usually sleep onin the dinning room and one guy- the captain sleeps in the small cockpit.
So the guys on board kept telling us that we needed to give the $55 US to them . We initially tried to to say for compensation we shouldn't have to pay the rest. Then the German tour guide got involved and literally said they these these crew memm=bers have no money and he was sure between the two of us we had $50. And then said we could go to the atM when we got off the boat. and we dkept saying no that they needto charge Lauren's credit card which she used to pay for the rest of the trip. As Lauren is going to dispute this.
So finally when they realized we were not budging we docked and someone from the boat company came on and charged Lauren's credit card.
The food was good and the formations were incredible. Like many people said you only need to be on one night (even the Germans said one night is just enough).
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