Halong Bay

  Halong Bay, Vietnam
Saturday, November 10, 2007

After our 1 night rest in the Sofitel Plaza, Hanoi, our transport arrived to transport us to Halong Bay. The journey took a lot longer than we had anticipated (4 hours!) mainly because it is impossible for any form of transport to reach any consistent speed.
The air was hazy in Hanoi and we thought it would clear when we got out of the city. Unfortunately we were wrong. At this time of the year the farmers are doing a considerable amount of burning. Because of this the haze blankets the entire region and doesn't get any better away from the city.
After the standard stop at one of the many craft market we arrived in Halong Bay. The wharf area was absolutely choked with buses and tourists. We were amazed at how many junks there actually were.

Our Junk

To get to our junk we had to walk across one of two others. When we reached our trusty vessel we were shown our room then ushered to a seat in the junk's restaurant area. We were seated with a couple of newly weds, Kath and Tim (that's Tim, not Kim!). Kath is Australian and Tim is English. Their wedding was in Queensland and they are now meandering their way back to England, where they both work. Another group hailed from Singapore and were mostly retired teachers. One couple live in Banksia Park. We are continually amazed how small this world is!
We eventually set off on our cruise in a haze of junk generated diesel fumes. The junk had about 14 passengers- all friendly and willing to have a chat. We spent most of our time eating and motoring along. We began the tour by having lunch on-board. This consisted of a range of seafood including prawns, crabs, fish and calamari. We travelled across the water viewing an array of amazing limestone columns jutting metres above the water. Legend has it that the bay was formed when a dragon came to a sudden stop causing the land to ripple and buckle to form caves and islands.

Deb @ Halong Bay

We pulled up (not sure if that is a nautical term!) to one such cave and climbed the 100 or so steps to go inside. The cave had some amazing formations including one stalacmite that looked like a giant penis. The cave itself was massive and we could walk around for quite some time.

Cave at Halong Bay

That evening we were able to observe the most amazing sunset ala picture postcard.

Halong Bay sunset 1

Unfortunately it was still a bit hazy but we managed to get some reasonable shots.

Halong Bay sunset 2

We stopped off at a beach but it was a little cold and late for a swim. Several people were in the water but Tim (the English guy) suggested that they were all probably poms!!
We again dined aboard and again experienced a seafood menu. Still delicious...... same, same but different!!
The night on board was calm, if a bit noisy. The cabins all had ensuites but Craig chose the wrong time to shower as they hadn't yet cranked up the hot water. After breakfast and a very early lunch (about 10:30) we were ushered off the boat so it was ready for the next group. Once ashore we were inundated with pearl sellers - the same pearls they were offering on the boat were about a quarter of the price. I ended up with more than I really wanted but somehow got talked into buying!!
We then headed back via another craft market selling the same stuff before another night in the Sofitel. I must admit that although the room was nice and the bathroom was luxurious with a range of toiletries, you are made to feel a lot more welcome at the smaller places. We found another hotel in the Lonely Planet Guide - The City Gate Hotel - where they were amazingly friendly and helpful to us.