Halong Bay - Boats, Beers and Beaches

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A weekend away was just what the doctor ordered. With our friend working in Halong it seemed the perfect excuse to visit on our long weekend. We could let her show us the nightlife, and while she was at work we could be touristy and see the sights of Halong Bay.

As usual we set off in quite a rush, the taxi made it's way to the bus station at a snails pace and the rickity little coach was about to set off the instant we arrived. We hadn't even paid the taxi before random Vietnamese were dragging us towards two separate buses, both urging us to get on. We kept saying "Halong Bay?" and they kept chattering away and pulling at us. Seconds later the decision was made ... we would get on the bus that the crazy lady had thrown my bag into (i don't even know how she got it).

It was an uneventful two hour busride, ignoring the movie playing (The transporter) as every character was dubbed by the same Vietnamese woman, but as we got closer to Halong the landscape changed and we were in awe of the beautiful mountains that just seemed to pop out of the ground all around us. We arrived and took a taxi the rest of the way to our hotel, passing the beautiful beach and catching our first glimpse of the bay.

I have to admit, Halong across the bridge (the residential area) does not have alot going for it. Within hours we were pining for HaiPhong's abundance of bia hoi's and street food. But the Bay, it lived up to expectations.

After a late night's boozing we still managed to be up and ready to start the day by 9am. The sun was shining and the heat was glorious. We made our way to the dock area of the Bay, where we met our friends who had also travelled down from Hai Phong. Purchasing our tickets, our small group made our way on to the tour boat.

The rest of the morning was spent cruising around the islands on the boat, exploring two of the massive caves found on one of the mountainous islands, and enjoying the weather. The boat stopped for a while on a small floating house in the middle of the islands where the inhabitants live on the sea and fish for a living. It was an eye-opener to the different lives that people endure. The fishermen tried selling the fish to the tourists, bludgeoning the fish to death with a blunt plan of wood before our eyes (and allowing a squid to suffocate out of the water, spraying it's ink before it died).

Our afternoon was spent strolling along the beach, stopping for refreshing beers and watching crabs burrow in the sand. Nothing too exciting but perfect for the relaxing day we wanted. We ended our afternoon in the chinese market, haggling with the vendors and considering buying loads of things that we would never EVER need.

Halong Bay ... i'd give it a great 8/10 ... but im willing to bet that in the summer it will be the place to go!

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