Halong Bay: Future Wonder of the World
Trip Start
Jun 18, 2008
1
44
46
Trip End
Sep 04, 2008
Halong Bay,
Vietnam
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Our first afternoon in Hanoi we shopped around a bit for a cruise to take. Hanoi is notorious for its travel scams: from taxis to hotels to tours, so we wanted to be sure we spent our money wisely. Also, our boat cruise experiences in the Mekong Delta and Nha Trang taught us to pay a little more and get a lot more. Anyway, we decided on one based on the recommendations from Lonely Planet, and we were pretty satisified.
We got picked up at our hotel and then departed for our four-hour journey from Hanoi to Halong. My first impressions were good as I sized up our cruise companions. There was another couple who looked close to our age and a solo guy, who I thought we'd get along with well. Plus, everyone seemed friendly and very international. From Spain, to France, to Australia, to the Netherlands. And I've slowly accepted that when I hear British accents I shouldn't get excited that I'm about to be able to talk London--they're probably Australian.
Aboard the boat, the Imperial Junk, we got our cabin assignments and everyone was relieved. Our room on the boat was nicer than our hotel room the night before when we slept in the practically un-air-conditioned room in the attic. Lunch on the boat was good, too. What we didn't know was we'd eat a version of that meal (fish, squid, spinach, rice, french fries) for every subsequent meal.
Once we started moving, we really began to appreciate just how stunning Halong Bay is. There are close to 2000 limestone islands that emerge from turquoise waters. There are cliff faces dotted with lush green jungle foliage. Some islands have caves and some have white sand beaches. It's truly gorgeous.
We visited a cave that reminded me of Ruby Falls the way the illuminate the stalagmites and stalactites with neon color flourescent lights so that you don't have to imagine that "this rock over there" is a dragon or a whale or a mother breastfeeding. Still, it was impressive to be in a cave that was essentially just a hollow island.
We also went on a small boat tour inside an inlet. We went under a cave-like tunnel then motored around the cliff edge rising above a pool of water. Light hit the water as if through a small pinhole in the sky. Serenity just washes over you, and it's impossible to not let the calmness sink in.
We also went kayaking, and I proved to Jason that I would not permit Adam to do all the rowing in our double kayak. I even (Dad, are you listening?) thought about how much fun it might be to go on a canoe trip when I come back to America.
Day 2 we went biking in Cat Ba National Park first thing in the morning. Now, I couldn't help but be a teensy bit apprehensive that they wouldn't have a bike that would be comfortable for me to ride (since I'm short). But, no worries. We got pedaling and all discovered on the uphills that if we had gears, they didn't work. Despite the difficult pedaling, the experience was wonderful. We biked to a part that felt remote in an authentic way. Of course, they shuttle tours through here, but for a while there was no one else in sight and I was biking through a rice patty in the valley of two mountains. In Vietnam. Cool.
After the bike, a swim was essential. We went to Monkey Island, named so for the wild monkeys that terrorize the place. While Adam and Jason scrambled up a rocky trail to the top of the island, I stripped to my underwear (European man style), and immediately got into the water. It was only a shade cooler than a bath tub. Refreshing, and yet you had to stay completely submerged in the shallow water to stay cool. From the top, Jason said he could see through the water to the coral. Despite the wrinkly fingers, I never wanted to leave. Oh, and as we were leaving, there was a monkey spotting. Apparently, he was drinking a beer.
Anyway, that just about concludes Halong Bay. A nice part of the trip was getting to know the other people on our boat and developing a sort of transient community of friends. Also, I have informed my parents that we need to move a cruise to Alaska to the top of our Future Vacations list.
