Halong Bay

This time it will be a combined story from Ha Long Bay, where we had booked a cruise with two overnight stays. Transport from Hanoi by bus takes about 3.5 hours. It was really nice to see the rural landscapes with flat rice fields divided into tight square patches, which is quite systematic compared to the cities where every little spare plot of land is planted with edible crops. In addition to the rice fields, we noticed quite a few burial sites along the road.

We had seen many pictures of crystal-clear turquoise water with all the limestone islands — there are over 1,900 of them! The reality was somewhat different during the days we were there. Unfortunately, it was overcast and quite hazy the first day, so we couldn't see very far. But even though it was hazy, what we could see and the surroundings were really special.

The first afternoon included a short trip to Luon Cave and Titop Island, but we stayed on the ship and relaxed until we were invited (again) to learn the art of making spring rolls — these are the delicious fresh rolls that are not deep-fried :-)

We were truly treated to all sorts of goodies from drinks, fruits, and nuts to sweet things. Dinner was tasty and surprisingly flavorful — and there were so many different dishes served — so much that at 'the old folks' table, it was approaching the limit of food waste. After all, there are limits to how much can be stuffed down…

The evening ended with attempts to catch squid — I didn't see anyone succeed.

Day 2 started very early with Tai Chi on the upper deck for the early risers. The day's program was large and packed, so by 8 a.m., we were ready to jump into a smaller day cruiser that would take us to Trinh Nu Cave, where we entered a large limestone cave. There was an option to kayak out there, but the idea of being in the kayak wasn’t enticing, so we chose the boat. Our guide told a romantic story and pointed out the rock formations that are the basis for the myths. On the other side of the cave was a small sandy beach where we could swim. But after navigating through heaps of garbage on the way there, it wasn't that tempting.

It is embarrassing to see how nature is heavily polluted with all the trash on land and in the water. Our guide Tran believed that some efforts are being made to change that, but from what we saw, the outlook is long if there aren't targeted actions. Tran told us that the fishermen who previously lived in floating houses with their families around the bay have been moved to the mainland. The reason was said to be that they polluted and their children didn't go to school enough. When you consider all the tourist boats that are major consumers of the bay every day, the fishermen's share is just a fraction of the problem. It was quite depressing! But we suddenly found ourselves a part of the problem…

Allan was the brave one who jumped into the waves at Lan Hai Bay — here the water also looked cleaner, at least on the surface, and he wasn't glowing when he came up again 😊

After swimming, we sailed out to a pearl farm — a kind of pearl factory. Long before we arrived at the farm, we could see large 'buoys' in the water. On them hung oysters waiting to either be ready for implantation or for the pearl they contain to be large enough.

We were guided through the entire process from cleaning and sorting oysters, implanting a small piece of mother-of-pearl into the oyster (handwork with tweezers) to harvesting the pearl. Quite fascinating — even though it was 'unnatural'.

The result of the efforts was incredibly beautiful, so of course, a small box came home 😊

That was the day!

Day three was the journey home. The morning's program included a visit to Sung Sot Cave, which we opted out of in favor of relaxing on the ship.

After brunch, we were sailed in to the buses waiting on the mainland and then the journey back to Hanoi.

As we were taking the train south the next day, we checked into a hotel near the train station for one night.

From now on, we have no hotel reservations, so it will be exciting!

We had dinner at a restaurant in the higher price range, but we got the full experience — including head with beak and feet 😄 Allan discovered a bit too late that he had nibbled on a chicken eye… so he gained that experience 😜

Aerial photos were taken by our guide Tran with a drone.