Halong Bay
Trip Start
Aug 28, 2008
1
23
29
Trip End
Nov 11, 2008
Halong Bay,
Vietnam
Monday, October 13, 2008
Today we took the four hour journey to Halong Bay where we boarded a boat that would be our nights accommodation. I was surprised by how good the accommodation was, the cabin in the little wooden boat had A/C and a full bathroom. Like on my previous trip to Halong Bay we cruised through the islands for a few hours until we arrived at a bay where the boat dropped its anchor and we all went swimming. Although the weather wasn't the greatest the water was really warm. In the evening we all played Yatze and card games and enjoyed the huge dinner that was provided to us.
14/10
In the morning we disembarked the boat and took a minibus to the hotel. After checking in we once again jumped in a minibus and headed to a hospital cave which was a cave converted into a secret hospital during the war. We were given a tour but it was just bare room and hard to imagine as a working hospital. I wonder whether the guide made up some of the functions of the rooms because there was a ping pong room and swimming pool (which was probably a water tank) but only one patient room which seemed a little strange to me.
Next we were dropped off at a national park where we would start a four hour trek to a village. It is probably one of the most challenging hikes I have ever done and was great fun. The path was very steep and for a large part of the journey we were climbing up and over rocks. At the village we had a local lunch before walking or another hour to the coast where we embarked a boat. The boat took us to an area sorrounded by karsk islands where we Kayaked to a beach and went swimming in the sea. Finally the boat docked where we were all given a lift back to the hotel on a motorbike. The day ended with dinner in a restaurant on the seafront and drinks in a backpaker bar.
These two days were without a doubt the highlight of the trip to Vietnam.
