Halong Bay, Vietnam

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Halong Bay - forget the cruise schmooze and junk it asian style

which is exactly what the pirates did during the turn of the 18th century. Our magnificent 'red dragon' junk was modelled on the historic boats plus a few minor inclusions to make the trip a little more luxurious....such as sun lounges....and a bar...and 12 well dressed staff. we're sure the pirates travelled in similar style! our overnight cruise was mindblowing - from sailing between some of the 3000 misty islands that make up halong bay, through to visiting ancient caves, witnessing the simple life of vietnamese fishermen and watching the sun set. we quickly forgot about the stressful and bumpy journey it took to get there; halong bay was an unforgettable experience and one that will remain with us for a life time.• cruise highlights: our uncontainable excitement when boarding the junk - it was like entering a martial arts movie set complete with bright green satin robes in our rooms - amazing in everyway; kayaking through the islands and spotting the monkeys that inhabit them, peering into caves, and visiting a fish farm in the middle of the bay; a tour of one of the largest and most significant caves in the region; a boat ride through a 200 family fishing village to witness the life of a traditional vietnamese fisherman - their floating houses and communities were amazing; being able to appreciate our gorgeous surrounds through a sunset and sunrise - breathtaking.• accommodation: 5/5 for a room, facilities and service that we could never have even imagined possible onboard a cruise.• food: does a 10 course degustation meal appeal to anyone? for lunch AND dinner?? it was exceptional traditional vietnamese cuisine presented in a manner that had us licking our fingers for more. and fresh fresh fresh! one of the live uncooked prawns must have sensed danger when it leapt out of the pot in a last minute dash for freedom before being steamed over hot coals!• misc: being serenaded by our guide and the chef at dinner who turned out to be quite the singer (and guitar player); the kitchen crew were able to carve some of the most intricate figures from leftover pickings - they made a scaled model of the junk we were travelling on complete with miniature deck chairs and sails made of carrot!

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