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Published: February 23rd 2009
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This was my number one “to do” activity in Hanoi. The day after I arrived I made arrangement for a one day tour of the bay, then back to Hanoi the same night. I don’t remember the cost, but it was very inexpensive. Probably in the $25.00 USD range.
I met the van in front of the guest house about 07:00. I was the only one going from my hotel that day. The van made a few other pick ups until it was full. The driver had an assistant and the assistant had a friend. The two of them shared a seat. It looked very uncomfortable, but I guess they were used to it. They did not complain.
The drive to the boat dock on the bay was a little over 2 hours. To describe the driving habits of Vietnamese would take another blog. I will leave it by saying there did not seem to be any rules of the road that were important enough to follow. The traffic laws, if the existed, were treated as suggestions at best. Combine this with the poor quality of the roads, heavy bicycle, cyclo, pedestrian, and motor bike traffic and the drive
itself became an adventure. As crazy as the driving was, somehow I never felt in danger. If our driver passed two trucks on a curve over a hill it was not a problem. The oncoming traffic seemed to expect this behavior and was prepared to drive onto the shoulder as we passed. Likewise, our driver showed the same courtesy to anyone heading toward us in our lane. So a two lane road accommodated three or four lanes of traffic plus pedestrians, motor bikes, and bicycles. All the while everyone blew their horns more or less continually.
When we arrived at the wharf we were herded off the van and told to stay in a certain area. Soon we were joined with some other groups, and it was time to board our boat.
Slowly we headed out into the bay. I think most everyone has seen pictures of Halong Bay. Everyone knew what to expect. And no one was disappointed. It was a little foggy at first, but as the mist rose, the beautiful limestone out croppings came into view. The water was a deep green color. Halong Bay translates to Dragon Bay in Vietnamese. It is said the
karsts resemble the back of a dragon, and I can see how they ancients came to this conclusion.
As the fog lifted and our field of vision increased and mile after mile of limestone hills jutting out of the water came into view. Everyone was out of the deck of the boat snapping pictures while the captain, his mate, and our driver were in the wheel house drinking beer.
The boat pulled up to a floating fish market. We were encouraged to pick out some fish for lunch. I had been told that the lunch provided with the price of the trip was more than adequate, and warned not to waste my money on additional fish. Apparently everyone else received the same advice. Only two people bought fish.
I walked around the fish market and looked at the many strange species. In fact the only thing that looked familiar were prawns or various sizes. There were also boats loaded with fresh fruits and flowers for sale. I didn't think the fruit looked fresh, but several people bought some.
Shortly after our stop at the fish market lunch was served. There was a tiny kitchen on the
boat from which dozens of plates of food emerged. We moved into the cabin and sat around tables of six. Each was filled with plates of Vietnamese food, including fish and prawns. A waiter came by and brought us beer, water, and other drinks. The food was good and plentiful. Fresh fruit was brought out for desert.
After lunch we cruised to a large limestone island which had a small natural tunnel through its center. We were told we were lucky the tide was out so we could take a ride through the water cave for a small additional charge. So we transferred to a small wooden boat and cruised through the limestone tunnel. The small boat was old and rickety looking. We had to arrange ourselves to keep it from listing. It was captained by a young boy who looked about 12 years old. He sat in the back of the boat at the rudder while he controlled the speed of the motor by pulling a string that went through the floor boards. I noticed he had a life jacket next to him. I did not see any flotation devices for the passengers. The cave was very low.
We could touch the ceiling as we passed through. We sailed through the cave then around the island and back to the boat.
Following our water cave adventure we cruised around some more until we docked at one of the larger limestone islands. We disembarked and were escorted up some steps and into a large limestone cavern filled the stalactites and stalagmites. Our guide walked us through pointing out various attractions and unusual formations.
Then we re-boarded and headed to Cat Ba Island. There we docked and some of the passengers got off to spend the night on the island while others boarded and took their place. I was told by one person that the night life on Cat Ba was great. I was told the opposite by another. So I don’t know if I missed a good time or not.
On our way back to the dock we passed a floating village. We didn't get close enough to see it very well.
After Cat Ba we cruised slowly back to the dock where we began our trip. We got off the boat and into the van for the trip back to Hanoi. I don’t remember
the time, but it was almost dark by the time we got under way. Everyone slept on the trip home.
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