December 14th to 16th
Our penultimate stop on the trip was to Ha Long Bay to see whether the limestone islands topped with rainforest and sorrounded by emerald seas were really as beautiful as instagram portrays. The boat tours, or cruises if you go more up market, are closely controlled and the only way we could find of doing it was to book onto an organised tour (cruise!). We wanted the full experience so forked out for the longer 3 day, 2 night version – the 2 day, 1 night version doesn’t even give you a day at sea, as you board at midday on the first day and get off less than 24 hours later.
First of all, though, we had to get there so we took the overnight sleeper train from Hue back up to Hanoi. Unlike our last overnight train trip from Bangkok to Lampang this was comfortable and horizontal. Even better, we were the only occupants of our four berth ‘soft’ sleeper. Nik found out that the term ‘soft’ in the booking blurb indicates a 4 berth rather than the ‘hard’ 6 berth – the mattresses are exactly the same in terms of comfort although much less likely to have been underbooked so we were smiling. We puttered up through Vietnam overnight and decanted into Hanoi early in the morning, where we staggered down the street to the hotel we were booked in to stay at after our cruise. We woke up the staff who were asleep in the lobby, checked in most of our bags and went out hunting for a Banh Mi breakfast – these things are addictive.
Suitably fortified we returned to the hotel where we were picked up the tour company and driven for a couple of hours down to Ha Long Bay. The ‘limousine’ coach that picked us up had it’s own wifi. reclining leather seats that massaged your back and complimentary water. I can see that Nik is revising her expeectations of the cruise
The first sight of the bay reeked of tourism – the massive hotels, the even bigger cruise ships, the London Eye type wheel on the hill and the cable car suspended half way over the bay. We were quickly checked through, and taken to our four berth junk for a quick briefing before we got underway. It was all very efficient and, for the first time on the whole trip, we weren’t in total control of our destinies, as the itinerary was set out for us.
“Ha Long” it turns out means descending dragon while the bay we were heading to on the longer cruise, “Bai Tu Long” Bay, means baby dragon descending. The legend is that the mother and baby dragon were sent by the gods to save Vietnam from a seaborne invasion and they blew out pearls which turned into the thousands of islands in the bay – leading the enemy ships to crash and sink. In reality, the islands in the bays are limestone outcrops, thrown up from the bottom of the ocean over thousands of years.
We were heading to the less busy Bai Tu Long Bay along with three other couples. Food was quickly served – which turned out to be a seven course meal. The courses weren’t large but they were frankly large enough, and then we were off on our first activity, which was a tour around one of the floating villages in the bay. Generations of families born on the sea have continued to fish the waters in this amazing landscape. They have lived their entire lives on the water. That used to be within the single boat owned by the family which was home as well as workplace but now boats are supplemented by floating rafts and houses on those rafts. Along with this space cats and dogs have arrived. The dogs act as guards for the fish farming that also now supplements the fishing. Many families spend their entire lives on the water, despite the government’s continued attempts to get them to come onto land although the floating school that was set up 10-15 years ago has now closed as numbers dwindled. Movement is only one way – you cannot choose to join these floating villages you can only be born into them. There was even a mobile grocery store – which looked a lot like another boat …
After a quick stop at a pearl shop – £1,000 for a bracelet – really! we headed back to the boat where we toured around the islands, which are as beautiful as the pictures suggest. Ha Long really is astonishing, like nowhere else on Earth. There are limestone ‘islands’ or karsts as far as the eye can see. They are silent as we sail quietly past them and they are majestic. The day ended with us chatting to our fellow guests while consuming another seven course meal. Squid fishing was going on too, although Nikki was unsuccessful.
A very good night’s sleep was followed by a bowl of pho for breakfast and then a visit to a cave in one of the karsts. On longer tours there are meals served in the cave – can’t say I’d fancy it myself. And then we went kayaking. Now frankly I have no water skills whatsoever, and we rapidly fell behind everyone else, and ended up caught in an eddy around one of the smaller karsts. Much swearing and frantic paddling ensued to make sure we got back – although no one else seemed to have noticed anything.
Once most of our fellow guests had departed on another boat (they had only paid for the 2 day 1 night option – a mistake!) we were whisked off for lunch on a beach – which was lovely although felt a little too entitled as the four of us were fed from a barbeque on a tiny strip of sand. Some swimming and wandering around before being taken back to the boat and were sailing back to the only spot where boats are allowed to moor overnight near Bai Tu Long. However, our guide showed us the map of where the boats were – there were seven or eight tied up in our mooring spot while over in Ha Long Bay there were dozens. By reputation the party boats can get pretty noisy too.
The weather up to now had been fantastic but we’d been warned that there was a typhoon coming the following day. By the time we woke up in the morning the clouds were gathering and the wind was blowing. After our continental breakfast (food, food and more food) we upped anchor and headed back to the port. Although – obviously – we stopped for another seven course brunch before we made it back to land, several stone heavier.
The tour company included the minibus back to Hanoi, stopping at a water puppet theatre on the way – telling simple tales of country life. I was particularly taken by the one in which the tiger ate the duck, but I guess that’s just me.
Ha Long Bay is wonderful – absolutely beautiful. The tour we went on was well organised and very efficient, but it was a taste of the kind of organised trips that lots of people do, being ferried from place to place and – frankly – we didn’t like that part of it very much. But still, the bay is absolutely worth seeing.
And so, to Hanoi. Our final stop …
– Tim