Halong Bay

June 8 and 9

A trip to Hanoi is not complete without going on a cruise of Halong Bay.  Halong Bay is a 3.5 hour drive from the city. It is a UNESCO world heritage site that is over run with tourists. The limestone islands that appear out of the water in irregular shapes are beautiful and that is the drawing card for people. The tranquil backdrop and calm waters are appealing, but I suspect more so back in the day when the waters were not littered with a hundred boats and plastic bags! I am not sure if I am the first person to say it was a bit of a letdown me.

Kissing Rock is often seen on postcards. This was a lucky shot as there were about 20 boats inching there way beside it.

Here come the onslaught of boats. Seemed like a traffic jam in Halong Bay.

Both days we had rain, but not for long. We went to Surprise Cave - large, with many chambers.
The stalactites and stalagmites look like giant jellyfish. They are constantly being formed by water  running and dripping on limestone. The development takes time, about an inch a century.

Outside the caves these dangling rocks looked like a pair of feet.

The caves were impressive but when we were taken to a man made beach (the sand was man made!) that was over the top . I was not impressed. The water felt far too warm to swim in and I couldn't help thinking how polluted it must be.  I guess I had a different picture in my head when I was told we would be swimming on this boat cruise. I thought we would jump out of the boat in some remote area and swim in some clean, clear water. That was not the case.

The beach only packed with people when we were there.

On the positive side, the evening was beautiful to sit on the top deck and enjoy the scenery. We had great company and played cards and laughed until could no longer keep eyes open. Paul taught us how to place a game called Keith, since he learned it from his friend Keith. Nate has now renamed the game Paul and he played it much of the bus ride back to Hanoi.

I am proud of all the boys for their willingness to try new foods. They are adventurous and did not hesitate to dig into the octopus.

We were missing Luke at meal time. He started throwing up on the bus ride out to Halong Bay and needed to stay in the cabin close to the bathroom! Stomach cramps were overpowering and he needed to lie down. What a shame! I guess that is the price paid for adventurous eating. Good thing it did not last too long. By morning he was up and about more, but still off  food.

The food on the boat was delicious and gave us a chance to try more Vietnamese foods, but it was over done. Each meal had at least 7 dishes. From soup, to papaya salads, rice with calamari, shrimp, it seemed endless. We could not eat what they gave us.

The morning started with Tai Chi on the top deck. It looks graceful when I see Vietnamese people doing it on the side of Hoan Kiem Lake, but not so much when a group of gangly foreigners try it. Again, the boys were up for everything and we gave it a go.

Kayaking was a highlight for me. We had about an hour going through a cave-like entrance into a small lake. Monkeys were playing and climbing along the rock cliffs.

Luke making a recovery.

Nate so wanted to catch a squid. Unfortunately that was not to be.

A chance to seize the moment and make money is everywhere. If you so much as looked at the people selling anything from snacks to souvenirs from their boats they would row over immediately. While Luke was laying in bed he happened to look out the window and a lady saw him and started rowing over.