Wakeboarding, Hangovers, and Traveler's Sickness

They woke us up at 7:30 like some cruel joke. With only 4 hours of sleep, I was moving a little slowly. The two boats split up, taking the 2 day people back to harbor, and taking us 3 day people to the hostel's private island deep in the mountainous islands of Ha Long bay. The ride there was mostly hungover people sleeping wherever they could. It was lightly raining, so a bunch of us stowed our stuff below decks and fell asleep on the top deck, letting the rain cool us off. There isn't very much wind in the bay, besides that caused by the boat moving.

Finally we arrived on the hostel's private island. It was actually very nice. Showers, working toilets, a nice kitchen and bar. We stayed under thatch roof, wall-less huts. Each had 5-6 mattresses with mosquito nets above them. Considering how hot it got, this was a very good setup. Once we got there the rain stopped, and I found a shady tree with a hammock and took a nap. Once I woke up, we had lunch and started the volleyball games. The whole time groups were going out for wakeboarding, which I had never tried but was excited to do. After 2 wins and a loss, my turn for the wakeboarding was up.

According to the guides, getting up is the hardest part. In fact, about 50% of the people trying the first time that day, didn't get up. Another 25% only got up once. I got up on the second try. And then had no trouble getting up after that. I think it was because I waited and watched both experienced and first timers, trying to gather as much tips as possible and learn from their mistakes. Also, the position you get yourself in as you get up, is very similar to one you use in rock climbing. Once I figured that out, it became a breeze. It was SOOO much fun! I think I have found a new hobby. And it's a big workout. Muscles I didn't know I had were hurting for days afterward. Abs, arms, back, and legs all felt the burn.

That night they served us a feast, which was good, cause I needed it. And of course, everyone went back to drinking heavily, as if they had no memory of the hangover this morning. I took part as well, trying to live up my youth. But one of my friends, Andy, didn't feel like drinking as heavily as everyone else. About 5 of us all felt the same way, and escaped to another part of the beach to drink, talk, and watch the stars. You can tell that on a clear night, you could probably see clear to the other side of the galaxy. I really tried to stay awake, but after the 5th time of my head dipping while talking to someone, I decided I was being rude and should just crash.

So I did, but it wasn't a restful sleep. The beds were fine, but at around 2pm, a british man started calling my phone. After the 5th call, I picked it up and in a not so polite way, told him that he was calling a phone in Vietnam, and it was costing him a fortune. He stopped after that. The next time I woke up, it was because a monsoon was coming down outside, and some thunder literally shook my hut. After that, a leak started right above my face. I used my windbreaker to cover it above the mosquito net, which worked fine. After that I only slept til 7. Couldn't get back to sleep. Meh.

The ride back was uneventful, with one exception. The lunch that day. I don't know what it was, because I was very careful in choosing my food. Only well cooked meats, breads, and fried foods. But something got me sick. Just travelers diahrea. It didn't hit me until that night. I went to dinner with Andy and another friend Leo. We got back and were joking around, and planning a day trip the next day. All of a sudden it hit me, I said goodnight, and spent the rest of the night in my room. Thank god for medicine. It took about 3-4 hours to work, but the perscription stuff WORKS. I haven't had even a rumble since I started the stuff. Meh, I watched Finding Nemo on my computer then fell asleep.