A Cruise Into the Heart of Darkness

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I was initially excited at the prospect of our Ha Long Bay cruise. An hour into the minibus ride to the boat, however, I would just be happy to get there alive. The driver seemed to be intent on getting to Ha Long City as quickly as possible, no matter what sort of insane, close shave overtaking manoeuvres that meant performing. Coupled with the shocking state of the roads closer to Ha Long - I'll certainly not complain about the comparatively dinky potholes that litter UK roads again for a while - we were pleased to finally arrive and be whisked onto the Paloma Cruise boat.

Ha Long Bay is a stunning place, with thousands of limestone islands dotted around for miles, and a relaxing cruise seemed the perfect way to experience the unusual location.

After a delicious lunch aboard the boat, we were taken by tender to one of the Bay's many intriguing floating fishing villages. Over 1600 people live in these floating houses dotted all across the Ha Long Bay, sustaining and making a living by plying the shallow waters for fish. We transferred to a traditional rowing boat which gave us an up-close and personal look at these floating structures and the people inhabiting them. It was fascinating to see the very different way in which these people lived, but I hoped that the cruise operators made healthy contributions to the village to compensate for the thousands of nosy tourists (ourselves included) dropped onto their doorsteps every year.

Back at the boat, we dropped anchor and went for a dip in the slightly murky, but still inviting water. After drying off we watched the sun set from the boat's sundeck, sangria in hand, until it was time for dinner. When it came to it though, I just didn't feel like eating. I dismissed my lack of appetite as a side-effect of the jet lag I'd not quite gotten over, and retired to our cabin for the night. Rach soon followed, feeling a little queasy. Little did we know the horrors that would soon hit us...

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