1,969 Islands
Trip Start
Oct 24, 2005
1
52
149
Trip End
Ongoing
Halong Bay,
Vietnam
Monday, November 6, 2006
With our days in Vietnam nearing their end, we arranged to take another few days off work to soak up all the beauty this locale had to offer. Shortly thereafter, our friend Gavic and his girlfriend, Shannon, finalized their plans and told us they would be in Hanoi around the same
time - perfect: we could all hit Halong together.
We had asked all of our friends who offered the best tours of the bay, and per their advice, we ended up at Vega Tour on Ma May - a street known as the home of reputable tour agencies in town. Hanoi is rife with tour agency and hotel imposters: people who steal the names of successful businesses in an effort to ride on their reputations to earn money. That being said, there are many awful tour operators in Hanoi, and one has to be very careful of whom they choose to sign up with. Many a horror story has been told about these shady operations, which subject their "guests" to gruesome conditions and still expect payment (and tips!).
Gav and Shannon spent an extra day in Sapa, opting to take a late night train back to Hanoi - due to arrive around 5:00 AM. Our van was picking us up at 8:00, so we were a bit nervous, but, true to form, they were in attendance, bright-eyed and bushytailed at the appropriate hour. The four of us hopped in the van and cruised around town for the next forty-five minutes or so, collecting four additional passengers. After that, we spent over three hours inching our way the mere 100 miles to the harbor (traffic in Vietnam moves at an extremely
slow pace - the roads are in fine condition, the laws are the prohibitive factor).
Upon arrival, we followed our guide, Hiep, to the harbor and shimmied from boat to boat until we found ours. The boat itself was quite large: the main level had a fairly big dining area (complete w/linen tablecloths and proper dishes!); there was a sundeck upstairs, lined w/lounge chairs; and the lower "deck" was home to the sleeping cabins, all of which had a bathroom (w/hot water shower!) ensuite. As we watched the city grow smaller and more distant, we were beckoned downstairs for lunch, which was by far the best meal of the trip (by the end of the trip we hoped to never again see fried food).
After lunch, we sat on the sundeck, soaking up the rays and taking in the splendor of Halong
Bay, snapping endless pictures. Unfortunately, pictures truly do not do justice to this incredible environment, so as you view them, imagine that magnified by one hundred.... The afternoon found us in the company of other boats, all with the same destination: Surprising Cave. Surprising Cave was found by a man fishing in the area over a hundred years ago. Like I said, we were there at the same time as many other groups, which no doubt detracted
from the ambience, but couldn't hide the fact that the cave really was quite impressive (with a crazy cement-looking ceiling).
After Surprising Cave, we stopped at a small island where some of us enjoyed the beach, whilst others hiked to the top of the "mountain" to enjoy the sinking sun. Having squeezed in a wee nap (you know me, The Narco!), we were back on the boat for just long enough to get comfortable when we stopped again, this time to enjoy some sea kayaking before sunset. The kayaking was really quite wonderful, as we had the freedom to explore the bay as we wished, weaving in and out of the various islands, and finding tiny little grottoes hidden within. That evening, we snuck a few bottles of wine up to the sundeck and shared them under the moon and star-filled sky, while acquainting ourselves with our shipmates: a British couple and a Swedish couple.
The next morning we were up early - again. Those of us continuing on the journey for an additional day changed to a much smaller boat and made a beeline for Cat Ba Island. The bay looked quite different in those early morning hours, before the mist and haze settled in, and we took full advantage, shooting more pictures that still didn't manage to do justice
to the real thing. Upon reaching Cat Bat, we took a dinghy ashore and set off on a really nice nature hike. The hike took us up and down through the jungle, down to the shores of a shallow bay, through the farm of a resident family who offered us fruit and pups to play with, and finally out to the other side of the island, where we rejoined our boat. The skipper took us out in the bay and docked next to one of the numerous fish farms in the area. We went for a brisk swim and lunched there before taking another cruise around in the sea kayaks. Fully satisfied, we made our way to the shore and to our hotel.
Once on Cat Ba, the four of us explored the local beach, where we took part in a (seriously bruising, I kid you not) round of volleyball games with the locals. I soothed by bruised forearms with a chilly dip in the water, and then we headed back to our hotel to relax. After a so-so dinner and another few bottles of wine, we hit the hay, knowing we had yet another early day ahead of us.
Despite our reluctance to do so, we were up and moving at 8:00, and back on the boat by
8:30. We cruised through the harbor and reconnected with our old boat, which took us all the way back to Halong City. After a forgettable lunch, we made our way back to Hanoi,
and reality, once again. Alas - why can't these journeys go on forever?!
All the descriptions of Halong Bay I've heard and read have been one-hundred percent accurate. One is amazed by the endless line of craggy islands rising spectacularly from the ocean - truly a sight unlike any other I've ever seen. Enjoying the scenery on a nice boat, where one actually spends the night certainly adds to the experience. We had a fantastic time, and would definitely repeat, if given the chance..
Banana Tree
Comments
Puppies!!
I like puppies!
Kitties
I like kitties too!!!