Halong Bay, of course!

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This past weekend we finally did the "number one" thing to do in Vietnam, a trip to Halong Bay. We were mostly excited to be in the quiet again, but it really was a great time! The scenery is just as beautiful as everyone says it is - limestone karst islands jutting straight up out of the water, etc. (see our photos, they speak much louder than words!). After our splurge on the very expensive Handspan Tour to Cuc Phuong, we opted for the slightly more budget Sinh Cafe - one of the more popular tourist cafes in town. Everything here is organized through these cafes, which are mostly not cafes at all, but travel agencies who organize tours.

So pretty much everyone does the same thing when they go to Halong Bay - you spend one day and night on a boat cruising the bay, then a day on Cat Ba Island (the biggest in the bay and totally Jurassic Park-like) and then cruise back to the mainland on the third day. So when you arrive at the docks - in the mini-bus which invariably is not nearly as nice as it was in the picture, and in which I can fit quite nicely but Brian's legs are up in his neck - there are hundreds of identical boats all ramming the dock and you just clamber over them following your guide until you reach yours. It seems all very hectic, and you start to wonder if this trip is going to be a bust. But then, ah, you start to motor, and a slight breeze begins to dry the sweat, and you look around and realize how beautiful it is!

We saw "Amazing Cave" as our guide was so fond of saying, which really was incredible. It's up from the ocean about 100 steps, and you enter the first chamber, which seems gigantic, then on to the next, and the next, each bigger than the last. The total floor space is like 1200 m2! I've never seen anything like it, and I've seen a lot of caves since arriving here! The big attraction is the penis rock, which actually looks like a huge erection, and is lit up with big red floodlights!

Then it was time to kayak into a hidden lagoon that you reach by paddling under one side of the island. Although we almost tipped the kayak climbing back in after jumping off in there, and I freaked out when the rope floated into my leg, it was one of the best places we've been. Thankfully I seem to be overcoming my fear of deep water or I would have really hated it! Swimming off the boat out of the lagoon was bizarre because the current from the tides was so strong. It was like being in an everlasting pool - swimming my heart out but not moving at all. Sleeping on the boat is pretty basic, but we didn't hear about our neighbours cockroach 'til we were off the boat - so no problem!

Our hike on Cat Ba Island was just great - a couple of hours through rainforest along a rough path, and then pretty close to full-on rock climbing to get to the summit of the mountain. The tables had turned and my short legs were a big hindrance, and Brian's long ones dealt much better with the boulders. It was super-fun. There was a big kerfuffle about the hotel, which was not the one in the picture we'd been shown at the time of booking. Brian and I were expecting that, but some other people had just started their trip to Vietnam and were just SHOCKED, and insisted upon going to another hotel. Anyway, sort of put a damper on things. Then we took another boat ride to Monkey Island - too hot for the monkeys though - so Brian and I kayaked over to our own private beach for a swim and explore - ahhh, island paradise.

Hope all is well!

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Photos

Cat Ba hike - at the summit
Notice the red faces - we are HOT!

Funny garbage cans
Some of the only public garbage cans we've seen - these ones are shaped like dolphins!

Comments

[Crystelle]

wow
My weekends are never quite so exciting or dramatic. What great memories you are creating. Where is the picture of penis rock though?