Day 22: Treated like royalty on the Violet

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Geo: 20.9063, 107.082

The mission this morning was to be packed and out of the room by 6.30 am so that breakfast could be finalised, luggage collected and the checkout process completed and we could be loaded into the minibus and on the road by 7.30 am. The Esmeralda is such a large complex we had to allow a good 10 minutes to get from building to building and then factor in all the other groups leaving at the same time. It required strategic planning to ensure that we had all the tablets that n the right place, had access to toothbrushes and we had time to check the bill! (That lesson is will not be forgotten.) we were pleased that we were front and centre in the lobby at 7.20. The only hiccup was that our luggage wasn't there because we had forgotten to leave the door unlocked for the staff to access our bags. Thank goodness for golf carts.

It was a 4 1/2 hour trek to Halong Bay and we had kilometres of road to travel. The majority of the highways allow for a maximum speed limit of 60 kph with the occasional 80 kph stretch. And the traffic police are everywhere and are prominent in their yellow uniform. Oncoming traffic flash their lights to warn of the traffic police's location and there was no way our driver would risk driving at speed with his VIP cargo.

The countryside alternated between incredibly beautiful and incredibly tragic. The ordered green patchwork of the rural countryside was in stark contrast to the decimation of the countryside by industry. So many of the mountains had been cut away or carved in half and each quarried mountain site was home to a cement factory. The buildings, vegetation and I suspect even the people, were covered n a fine white powder and of course the air was filled with the dust and smog. Even inside the van we had watering eyes, burning nostrils and a constant catch in the throat. The closer we got to the harbour the more intense the the industrialisation became and the heavy black smoke was a constant stream out of the tall chimney stacks of the steel works.

But according to Way, there's no need to worry. The government has a plan. He didn't elaborate on the details of the plan. The message is though, if anyone is keen on seeing the karst mountains in Ninh Binh, sooner rather than later should be their plan.

Way kept up his steady dialogue along the highway and apparently his mother and father live in the Hung Yen province and carve the "ood." The "old" jokes were the start of a stream of jokes for the day as Way and Way-ne the jokers just kept them rolling which amused Way no end. Definitely need to capture his laugh - if you could bottle it -you could make a fortune as a "happy-dote" - it is infectious.

Way had been singing and making up songs along the highway so Mac got in on the act and tried to teach Way his version of "Rhinestone Cowboy" but changed the lyrics to "Limestone Cowboy." The joke then progressed to a confusion around "how long" to Halong which was funnier than the Three Stooges' skit of "who's on first." And the very best part was that once Way got the joke, he would randomly revisit it, repeating it as if it were the first time - and start the laughter all over again. Not sure if he has dementia or he thought we did - but it was an endless cycle of repeats.

There was one comfort stop at a general purpose store. The toilet of course was the main attraction. The men's toilet was just a recess off the shop and didn't have a door and certainly didn't have personalised stalls so the secret men's business became everyone's business. Richard was keen to snap Mac in action. As for the ladies, at least we had a door into the room but then it was a series of 6 FILTHY squat toilets that were open in view to all the ladies. Thank goodness that tucked around the corner were two western numbers. I think if I'd pulled out the shewee here I would have been a tourist attraction.

We were caught in a traffic jam in the final stretch to the s was the first accident we have seen on the chaotic anything goes Vietnam roads. A truck had run up the median strip and taken out trees, light poles and traffic lights. But with the usual patience, jockeying for position and a detour on the wrong sidebbhhhh of the road we were through and made the harbour with 10 minutes to spare. Perfect timing according to Way who couldn't wait to hand us over to Sam from Heritage lines so that he could have a desperately needed cigarette.

At exactly 12.30 we boarded "The Violet" our home for three days and two nights. Down to business with the safety instructions and then off to our rooms and again they are magnificent. Beautiful "ood" panelling, luxurious four poster king sized bed, a double jacuzzi and adjoining balconies at the front of the boat, floor to ceiling windows and endless views of the impressive horizon that are the silhouettes of the spectacular towering limestone pillars and the tiny islets covered in green vegetation.

Halong Bay is north Vietnam's number one tourist destination and the number of boats crowded along the pier suggested that business was booming. It was rather a spectacle on departure because it seemed that right on queue all the boats along the pier left their moorings. It was reminiscent of the start of the Sydney to Hobart except there was no starting gun.

Not sure how many of the 1 969 (note here that Ho Chi Minh died in 1969 - a coincidence that is repeated) islands we will see but certainly had a feast of them because they were everywhere! Legend has it that this mystical landscape was created when a great mountain dragon and her children descended to the sea and charged towards the coast to protect the Viet people from the foreign aggressors. The dragons spat pearls into the ocean which changed into jade stone islands as they touched the water. These islands linked together to form citadels to block the vessels approach and smashed them to pieces. Halong, the bay of descending dragons, is still protecting Vietnam from foreign aggressors!

Another busy day which day consisted of:
lunch: yes, seafood is back and oysters have made an appearance
a cave: we visited Tien On Cave which had 100 steps in its frog shaped mouth which gave access to close up views of the stalagmites and stalactites via another 500 steps inside - but beautiful and worth it. (Tom has a laser light he he uses to pick out the shapes in the caves. Richard latched onto the microwave he saw behind a screen. - and now every second rock I a microwave. The joke is wearing thin. Lucky Way isn't in on it.)
a row boat ride around the floating fishing village of Cua Van: a small village now inhabited by just 200 people who fish by night for cuttlefish and squid and by day live on their small floating houses tethered to the island. During the typhoon the villagers take refuge in the nearby Tien On Cave
caught a brief glimpse of the setting sun from our balcony: this sounds bizarre but with the smog we had not seen the sun all day and for about 10 minutes it peeked through to give us a smokey view of the setting sun
joined chef for a cooking demonstration: got the inside goss on how to host a "make your own fried spring roll" party - #actsurprised and then
topped it off with dinner: more seafood, including baked seafood and crab spring rolls

And I have to confess that I bought some "pearls" from the sampan lady who rowed up beside "Violet." How ingenious. We were sitting ducks because we were relaxing out on the front balcony of our cabin. "Pearls, pearls, pearls" was called from the boat and she waved some strands in the air. We were on the second deck of the boat but that posed no problem. She whipped out a net on a long pole and hoisted the samples over the railing. Not before getting out a cigarette lighter and demonstrating they were real by trying to burn them! She also demonstrated the "rub on the teeth" trick. We had been warned that these were not the real thing. But I couldn't resist. Tried on a few. Rejected a few. Asked for a different colour. And finally settled on a strand. The price started at $50 and we eventually agreed on the grand sum of $15 and we were both very happy. All of this business was conducted with very little English, from a rocking boat 10 metres below, facilitated by a net and a long pole. Love my pearls.

To be honest, we need to recover more from the eating than we do from the exercise of this trip. You definitely don't want to eat another morsel but the smell and flavours are so, so delightful it is hard to resist.

Love Halong Bay and "The Violet" - can only imagine what it would be like on a "clear day."

Steps:
Temperature: 24 degrees

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Comments

[Aunty Gail]

Lovin' the Violet.....and what about that food!!!!!! Of course you can't resist it - don't even bother to try, just enjoy every mouthful.....I'm salivating at this end!The pearls look beautiful Jan......hope another 'net on a pole' comes by
with some matching earrings.....xxxxx