Tourist Cruise from Cát Bà, Vietnam

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Cát Bà Island is the latest, greatest tourist jumping off point for boat tours of Hạ Long Bay (or Halong Bay) and Lan Ha Bay. Everyone has seen and heard about this famed UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Most of this trip is scenic relaxation. 😀

I spent 2 nights in Cát Bà town and really enjoyed the tourist trap.

Massive resorts are under construction here. Beautiful tourist attractions, as well.

Here’s the view from my hostel in 2025. Gorgeous sunset blocked by giant crane.

I’m not sure I want to come back when this is all finished.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

There are many things to do out of this island — but by far the most popular is a one day boat trip which usually includes these stops:

  • Kayaking stalagmite caves
  • Swimming deep water or from a beach
  • Fish Farm tour

BEST was simply sailing the steep karst islands Lan Ha Bay and Ha Long Bay. Very relaxing.

Since I had experience kayaking, I was partnered with a new friend from Delhi. Needless to say, she quickly picked it up. No problems.

The fish farm stop was surprisingly interesting.

Fish farms in Lan Ha Bay, Vietnam

Here’s a traditional fisherman.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm

On By Rick McIn books, health & fitnessLeave a comment

Surprisingly, I’d never read the Hugo Award winner for Best Novel 1977.

It’s original and excellent. Far ahead of its time.

Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang is a science fiction novel by American writer Kate Wilhelm,

The collapse of civilization around the world has resulted from massive environmental changes and global disease, which were attributed to large-scale pollution.

… one large family founds an isolated community in an attempt to survive the still-developing global disasters.

As the death toll rises, mainly to disease and nuclear warfare, they discover that the human population left on earth is almost universally infertile.

From cloning experiments … the scientists in the small community theorize that the infertility might be reversed after multiple generations of cloning, and the family begins cloning themselves in an effort to survive.

The assumption is that after a few generations of cloning, the people will be able to revert to traditional biological reproduction. …

What could go wrong?

… only “naturally” produced human in the community, Mark, seeks his own solution to the problem, and by force he leads a group of fertile women and children to abandon the community and start over …

The title of the book is a quotation from William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73.

Christine Sandquist REVIEW.

Ninh Binh Tour from Hanoi

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SUPER popular these days is an inexpensive day trip from Hanoi to Ninh Bình. About 100km south.

The capital of Vietnam in ancient times.

Attractions & Activities vary, but most include:

  • Trang An Boat Ride: … through caves and limestone formations, normally with an elderly lady rower.  They have 2000 boats ready to go!
  • Hang Mua: Climb 500 steps to the summit for panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. 

Goats hang out on the steps, looking for handouts.

  • Hoa Lu Ancient Capital:  Explore the historical sites, including ancient temples and royal palaces from Vietnam’s past capital. 

On my tour we cycled for about a half hour to this Buddhist temple. Very relaxing. I quite enjoyed this stop.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

VIDEO ➙ Motorbike Touring Vietnam

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Jess posted the best videos from our group trip on the 3 day Ha Giang Loop Easy Rider Motorbike Tour.

You must be logged into Instagram. (Yet another reason why YouTube is far superior to Insta for video.)

watch day 1 on Instagram

watch day 2 on Instagram.

watch day 3 on Instagram.

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz

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Marble Hall Murders (2025) is 3rd in the excellent Susan Ryeland series. All three are being adapted for the screen by BBC.

It’s great. But almost a little too complicated for this reader.

Another of his book within a book murder mysteries. Very much like Agatha Christie — but twice as confusing. 😀

Anthony Horowitz is one of my favourite authors.

She’s edited two novels about the famous detective, Atticus Pünd, and both times she’s come close to being killed. Now she’s back in England and she’s been persuaded to work on a third.

The new ‘continuation’ novel is by Eliot Crace, grandson of Miriam Crace who was the biggest selling children’s author in the world until her death exactly twenty years ago.

Eliot believes that Miriam was deliberately poisoned. And when he tells Susan that he has hidden the identity of Miriam’s killer inside his book, Susan knows she’s in trouble once again.

As Susan works on Pünd’s Last Case, a story set in an exotic villa in the South of France, she uncovers more and more parallels between the past and the present, the fictional and the real world – until suddenly she finds that she has become a target herself.

It seems that someone in Eliot’s family doesn’t want the book to be written. And they will do anything to prevent it.

Ha Giang Loop, Vietnam – Easy Rider Motorbike Tour

On By Rick McIn food, travel1 Comment

Hà Giang Province in far north Vietnam near the Chinese border is one of the poorest regions.

Gorgeous mountainous karst landscape.

Since the designation of Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark in 2010, the tourism industry has been growing. Astonishingly popular in 2025 is a loop of some of the scenic roads by jeep or motorbike.

I signed on for a 3 day, 3 night option for about USD $200.

Rice does not grow well here — corn is the most important crop.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

We traveled by sleeper bus from Hanoi to Ha Giang city. Then slept a few more hours in a hostel.

Each tourist has a personal guide / driver.

I called my guide BOSS as he was the leader of the pack.

It’s possible to do the loop on your own, renting a bike. But I understand you’ll be stopped by the police often — and asked to pay a fine / bribe.

The other 2 nights were in a good hotel. And a charming traditional homestay.

Food was excellent. We all gained weight over 3 days. 😀

Everyone in my group left super happy with the experience. No accidents — if you don’t count me running off the bike when my driver hit a hidden pothole at very low speed.

We did about 300km — all good. Dozens of scenic stops.

Drivers know all the best photo stop angles.

Dogs are sometimes dinner in this part of the world. But not this pretty boy. 😀

A great adventure.

Foundation – season 3

On By Rick McIn books, TVLeave a comment

I managed to get through season 3.

Very confusing.

I DO admire Apple for making the attempt to adapt Asimov’s books to screen.

On the upside, the Mule has finally arrived. We have an interesting bad guy.

Foundation Season 3 centers on the emergence of the Mule, a powerful telepath who throws Hari Seldon’s carefully planned psychohistory into chaos.

A major 152-year time jump sees the Foundation reset, the Galactic Empire’s Cleonic dynasty fracturing, and Gaal Dornick confronting a new reality with the Second Foundation.

The season ultimately concludes with a game-changing finale featuring the Mule’s shocking true identity, the death of major characters, and the revelation of Earth. 

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

My Motorbike Tour – Northern Vietnam

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Right now I’m on a 3-day motorbike tour called the Hà Giang Loop close to the Chinese border.

It’s become super popular with tourists the past 15 years.

Here’s how A.I. envisions my adventure.

Here’s my actual bike. 1500cc – THUNDER down UNDER.

… actually, I don’t ride the crotch rocket myself.

Instead, I sit on back. A grinning lump. I have an expert driver / guide here seen reloading on coconut coffee.

He’s the leader, as well, of our group of 9. No doubt I got the boss because I looked the biggest trouble maker in the group. 😀

Mã Pí Lèng Pass

It’s surprisingly safe. I did run off the bike once when we hit a pothole at low speed.

AND I do have evacuation insurance, just in case. 😀

Crosshairs by Patterson & Born

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For a James Patterson book, this is quite good.

Sure, it’s cheesy. It’s Patterson.

But I enjoyed the character of Rob Trilling, a shooting expert—a former Army Ranger and sniper with NYPD’s Emergency Services Unit.

He’s there to help New York City detective Michael Bennett find a killer sniper who’s been taking out seemingly random people.

Crosshairs (2024) is Michael Bennett series.

Of course, Bennett’s wife and 10 children are always entertaining.

Outsider by Brett Popplewell

On By Rick McIn books, health & fitness, philosophyLeave a comment

A surprising and important book.

Outsider follows journalist Brett Popplewell as he uncovers the story of Dag Aabye, an aging former stuntman who lived alone inside a school bus on a mountain, running day and night through blizzards and heat waves.

The book chronicles Aabye’s life from childhood to the silver screen, reflecting on our notions of aging, belonging and human accomplishment. 

Dag Aabye is often credited the world’s first extreme skier.

His life is extreme, as well.

GREAT ending.

Into the Wild meets Born to Run meets The Stranger in the Woods in a fascinating true story of a marathon-running hermit and a journalist’s quest to solve the mystery at the core of the enigmatic man’s existence