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Published: February 9th 2007
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Halong Boat
Given that the boats were engine driven, we think they put up their sails purely for our photographic pleasure. Hanoi is the gateway to the northern part of Vietnam, and most travellers use it as a base to visit Sapa and Halong Bay. We were signed up for both, as Meg - a seasoned traveller - had recommended both locations.
We had booked our tours through our hotel in Hanoi, and the hotel owner indicated that it would be pleasant in Halong Bay, and that swimming was definitely on the agenda. So it was with great enthusiasm that we packed our daypacks with swimsuits, suntan lotion, hats and some t-shirts and other light clothing.
A short 3 hour bus journey later and we were at the pier ready to board the boat. We were with a great group of travellers and we were all coming to the same conclusion that perhaps it wouldn't be as warm as we'd hoped. It was freezing! Those that had extra layers started to put them on, and those that did not just huddled together for warmth. Bronson and I hadn't even brought enclosed shoes, and so were standing around in our thongs. Whoops!
In hindsight, it was perhaps a bit naive to think that the weather would change such a short
Halong Bay
These ghostly rocks were our view for the majority of our time on the water. distance away. It was still the middle of winter after all. Still, the human mind is wonderful at believing what it wants to, and the hotel owner was only too happy to mislead us. Here we all were, but the sun was nowhere to be seen. Still, it would take a lot more than a winter chill to dampen our spirits!
Even in the middle of winter, the trip to Halong Bay is incredibly popular, and there were probably more than 20 boats, each capable of carrying 20 to 60 passengers, waiting for us at the pier. They were tied up so close to each other that passengers just climb onto the first one they can, and then walk over each boat until they reach the boat they're meant to be on. When times come for the boats to start pulling away, it starts to get bumpy, as the captains start treating the boats like bumper cars (hence the title of the blog). It almost seems like the captains are trying to hit as many boats as they can on the way out. It is as if the Vietnamese' skills at avoiding collisions on the roads has evaporated, and
Trying to avert a crash
Unsuccessfully, we might add! when they're on the water they can't help but crash into the other boats. In one instance when we're out at sea, and there is only one boat in a kilometre stretch of water, our captain still managed to hit it!
Once we're out on the ocean it is fantastic. It feels like we are the only boat floating past hundreds of massive rocky islands. It is stunning and incredibly humbling. We could be in any time period, embarking on any adventure in the world.
The rest of our time on water was spent with the brave kayaking, and the insane actually swimming, although most people just stayed on deck laughing and taking photos. Just before sunset we visited a fishing village with a wide variety of fresh fish - so fresh in fact that they are swimming around in their (almost) natural environment. Each fish farm is actually a small hut surrounded by wooden walkways. These beams support nets, which drop straight into the ocean. Fish are caught and transferred into this captive environment until a passing boat stops and purchases one for dinner. Each hut houses families, fish, dogs and one even pumped out loud dance
Fishing Village
Some of the fishing communities we passed must have had 50 families all living on the water. music - at least noise complaints are not an issue!
We spent the first night on the boat, and a second night on Cat Ba Island, which seemed more like an excuse to extend the tour than any genuine tourist attraction. Still, it is one of only two inhabited island in Ha Long Bay, and we had an enjoyable morning hike to get to an amazing view, popped in some kayaks for the afternoon, and then karaoked the night away.
Our young Aussie friends proved the highlight of the night when they pulled out a bottle of snake wine. This is a bottle of "wine" in the loosest sense of the word. Everything in Vietnam with any alcohol content seems to be classified as wine, and at what we guessed to be 30% proof, it was pretty strong stuff.
Long (our tour guide) assured us this wine was better than viagra, even though this wasn't a selling point to two lonely guys sharing a hotel room. In any case, the wine proved no more arousing than regular wine, although crammed with various herbs as well as a snake and a scorpion, it tasted considerably worse!
Not
Nets for the captive fish
This was one of the bigger setups we saw. content with simply drinking the horrid concoction, our friends proceeded to break the bottle open, nibble on the snake, and then run around with the scorpion scaring the local children who had gathered to watch the spectacle. Even the adult locals stared in amazement at the crazy foreigners, and took lots of photos on their mobile phones.
Ha Long Bay was beautiful, and waking up to the mist-shrouded rock formations was an experience not to be forgotten. Blue skies, sunshine and a little warmth would probably have made the adventure a little more enjoyable, but then again it might have changed it completely and we wouldn't have changed a thing!
Travel Tips
Take what you are sold with a grain of salt. We were shown pictures of "the exact hotel you'll be staying in", but then put in an alternative hotel (of the same quality). Some people will emphasise things like "You will be able to kayak for 4 hours, not the 1 hour other people sell". This was lie, but we didn't care. You'll only want to kayak for 1 hour probably, unless you are an ironman. Others will say, "Your boat will only have 12
Would you like a crab for your dinner?
The fishing boy found it amusing holding up various sea creatures for our entertainment. tourists sleeping on it" and try to charge you more. The bigger boats hold 16 tourists sleeping over, which is hardly overcrowding (plus you get to meet more people which can be nice). We paid $45 for our 3-day trip to Halong Bay, which included everything from being picked up in Hanoi to being returned 3 days later, with the exception of drinks. They will screw you on the price of alcohol on the boats though, and if you try to bring your own they charge "corkage" which makes it nearly as expensive as buying theirs. Make sure you shop around and bargain hard when buying tours... they are sold by nearly every guest house in Hanoi, as well as tons of travel agencies. Some of the people on our trip paid $44 for a 2-day trip ($40 plus 10% "tax") and were really annoyed to find out we'd got our 3-day trip for only a dollar more.
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Eric
non-member comment
Awesome
Looks absolutly awesome, how clean was the ocean? Could you test your new diving skills?