Halong Bay

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After wading through a number of tour companies with an unbelievable range of prices for Halong Bay tours (going upto over $200) I decided to reject the recommendations I had received for some expensive agencies and take a gamble on a $35 3-day all inclusive trip to Halong Bay. The next few days that followed were some of the best of my trip thus far.

After a cramped bus journey to the coast we boarded our boat and settled down as we set sail. By the time we had eaten a delicious buffet lunch the boat had reached possibly the most spectacular scenery I've seen so far - huge limestone rocks jutting somewhat randomly out of the emerald waters interspersed with floating villages and fishing boats, under a pefectly blue sky. No photo could possibly do it justice.

We made a stop at one island to visit a magnificent cave system which is tastefully lit by coloured lights for the benefit of us tourists and which was extremely impressive. Later in the afternoon as the sun went down behind the rock we then stopped for swimming and kayaking through the lagoons whcih was really nice and relaxing.

Late we ate again on the boat, before relaxing with a beer on the top of the boat staring up at the awesomely clear sky. I had no idea that there were that many stars! There were some really nice people on the boat and we entertained each other by swapping travelling stories (Monique's story about being hit by a bus in Africa always wins) and generally having a laugh before heading to our cabins for the evening.

The second day started early for breakfast onboard before stopping at another island for a trek to the top of the mountain. It was incredibly sweaty and more of a climb than a trek at quite a few points but the views were fantastic. However, I could only keep one eye on the views whilst I was looking out for some of the giant spiders we spotted in notably head-height (for me at least) webs, as well as trying to keep my footing on the loose rocks underfoot.

After recovering from the trek and rehydrating onboard we then stopped at Monkey Island. The beach was not quite as deserted as some of the group had been lead to believe but was pleasant enough for anb ice-cream and a swim. The simian inhabitants of the island did make an appearance, however due to their tendancy to bite people and the potential rabies risks they can only be viewed from the safety of a wire cage - a sort of reverse zoo. They were pretty entertaining and included a tiny baby, but I have seen larger groups of monkeys in a much more relaxed atmosphere before and so I was slightly underwhelmed.

The second night was spent in a hotel on Cat Ba island which is swarming with tourists and seems to be pretty much the only place to stay in the whole of Halong Bay. A positive consequence of this was, however, that it was a decent place to find a bar to spend the evening socialising with others on the tour over a beer or two but I think most would have preferred another night on the boat (or "Hotel of a Thousand Stars" as our guide referred to it rather cringeworthily).

The next morning was another early one and we re-boarded the boat after breakfast. The boat headed back slowly to the coast while we sunbathed on the top-deck apart from for a swimming stop along the way.

All in I had a great time and can't really express how beautiful the area is. I do have to thank my luck though because as we arrived at the shore it started to rain, and we later heard that trips leaving that day had to be cancelled and that those already out there could not do any swimming or kayaking, so it could have been a very different trip.

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Comments

[Ollie]

Halong Bay
Jon You are so right, definately one of my highlights of Vietnam, so beautiful although I am gutted I missed out on Monkey Island!! If only I had known I would have been there in a shot!!