Halong Bay Cruise
Trip Start
Sep 06, 2007
1
12
28
Trip End
Sep 04, 2008
Halong Bay,
Vietnam
Sunday, October 7, 2007
After our adventurous trip to the Perfume Pagoda we relaxed for a while and then decided, as the weather was improving greatly to book a trip to Halong Bay. It is the largest bay in the world with approx 3000 islands made from limestone. We were collected early and headed three hours east of Hanoi to the Haipong Pier stopping along the way at yet another 'attack the tourists for all they will buy' rest break. After boarding the cruise boat (not in the Caribbean understanding of cruise boat) we eventually set sail through some of the most beautiful sights in the world. We sailed for about two hours, taking in the sights and sunbathing on the boat top before reaching our anchor spot for the night. Everyone disembarked and climbed a couple of hundred step up the mountain to a huge cave containing stalactite and stalagmites. The scenery in this area is simply breathtaking, it is impossible to believe that you are actually really in the middle of it and not watching it in a movie.
Our first night was on board the boat. We headed off before sunset on kayaks around the islands with our tour guide, unfolding amazing creaves through the islands which we could paddle through and explore...its really cool. There were about 20 people on our boat, all of whom we got on great with. A guy from Manchester and a guy from Switzerland had dinner with myself and Fiona and after wards played us in a game of pontoon...challenge the dealer. The rules are that the looser has to drink two fingers width of their drink. Ha ha they were surprised by myself and Fiona alcohol constitution!!! and needless to say, we came out of it singing - at one point I did literally:)
Next morning we set sail passing a pearl farm, I ended up buying a pair of pink pearl earrings for $5...not bad until I saw them in the next island for $1!!! - welcome to Vietnam! We left the large boat to get on board a smaller boat which took us to Cat Ba Island. It is the only inhabited island in Halong with about 7000 people - this is aside from the people who randomly live in makeshift rafts, dotted around the bay - crazy people! We had a 2.5km cycle ahead of us through this scenic island. I got about 100 meters down the road when this guy magically appeared from nowhere beside me on a scooter, he was pointing to the back wheel....it was of course, flat! He wanted me to get on the back of his scooter and pay him to take me around the island. Just as this happened our tour guide came along on another scooter and offered me his scooter with a guide for free as the bike was broken...poor Fiona had to cycle on her own now. She caught up with the others and all was good. My new driver was metal, he was bombing it around the island dodging loose goats and randomly stopping for me to take photos (when he decided that I should). I understand that when going up a hill on a scooter you need to build up some speed and momentum but this guy thought he was Eddie Irvine!! When we had to go back down the hill on the other side, he was free-wheeling and shouting 'wwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee' - his breaks were mental on metal...I thought I was dead! We arrived at a tiny village where he stop and I got off, all the group were to meet here. As soon as everyone arrived (much to my relief as I was left on my own with these people), our tour guide produced a plastic can with a dead snake sitting in some fluid inside...this is what is know to as 'snake wine'...he picked it up, filled some glasses and started drinking it. Kevin, the Australian guy and his wife Magdalene tasted it, it looked horrible. We set off again walking through some Jungle searching for a cave, after finding it we were all watching our hair as it was full of bats. Time to leave and once again my faithful, enthusiastic driver returned!! I endured another trip back with him to the pier, the 'same same experience but different' (great saying here) - he seemed to enjoy seeing me jump out of my skin at every hill, knowing what was coming next! Funnily enough, on the way back Magdalene's bike broke also, conveniently a guy turns up on a scooter with his friend and transport her and the bike back to the pier for which they were then demanding money - they are a serious shower of gangsters here, waiting to make money at any available opportunity - all hell broke loose and we just left the men rioting on the island!
We spent the rest of the afternoon at Monkey Island swimming off the boat, we never got to see any monkey's but we did enjoy the really warm water. That night we stayed on the island of Cat Ba in a very fancy hotel (fancy to myself and Fiona is the Central in Miltown Malbay at this stage), it was over looking the bay and it was great to have some proper comfort for a change. We met up with some of the others and had some drinks on the 2nd floor bar- great views!! Next morning we left the island and Halong Bay and headed back to Hanoi. Fiona and I had the pleasure of looking forward to a 12 hour sleeper bus journey that night!!! - great three days had and definitely one to do!
On mad thing - Fiona has pointed out loads of times that all the people so far in Vietnam row their boats backwards, she is afraid to point this out to anyone in case it unleashes another Vietnamese war - Westerners interfering!
Comments
Is the snake wine the same as this one?
Is the snake wine you have seen the same as this one?
Any photo?
http://www.snake-wine-cobra.com/
Thanks.
Snake wine
Snake wine tastes like cheap sake with a hint of snake. Having said that, I am still alive, so it is harmless. Cheers Kev