Finally at the beach! - Halong Bay

11/10 - 13/10

After three days of hustle and bustle in the city, we were looking forward to some nature, which is why we chose Ha Long Bay as our next destination. We booked a bus at the hotel and drove there for about 4 hours. Unfortunately, the Vietnamese driving style did not change, and the bus driver overtook so recklessly that it made my (Emi) blood freeze. But we had no choice but to 'close our eyes and go for it'! It's really surprising that there isn't an accident happening every few minutes - so far, we've only witnessed two motorbike riders crash.

Ha Long City, where our hostel was located, turned out to be different than we expected. Almost every other building is under construction, with cranes everywhere, huge hotel resorts, and skyscrapers. Unfortunately, we were not surprised by any idyllic views!

Nevertheless, we made the best of it and immediately booked a full-day boat tour through the bay for the next day. In a travel group of about 20 people, we explored the usual sights, such as certain rock formations, the largest cave 'Sung Sot Cave', a pearl farm, and Titop Island with a view over the bay and a small beach for swimming. Here, we could jump into the sea and cool off - invaluable in these temperatures!







The highlight of the day was definitely the one-hour kayak tour and the delicious lunch on board. The weather was also favorable, with sunshine all day long, and I (Emi) was able to get a little bit of a tan for the first time! :)



In the evening at the hostel, we got to know other travelers for the first time - two German brothers (one of them was a proud 2.12 meters tall and was constantly being asked about it by the relatively small Vietnamese) and Marika from London, who was traveling alone. We went to the Funky Bar in the evening with the three of them and two Vietnamese guys from the hostel team, originally to have a couple of beers in a relaxed atmosphere. It turned out that the Funky Bar was actually a club with very loud house/electronic music and drinking Chinese and Europeans. After a quick beer, as it was almost impossible to have a conversation there, we moved to the adjacent backpacker hostel, where we met the manager Basti, who immediately treated us to a vodka shot. He was a really cool guy, but a bit scatterbrained and according to his own words, rarely sober - job-related, of course! :)

The start of the next day was a bit of a struggle - we had had a few too many beers and cigarettes. First hangover - check! Nevertheless, we still wanted to do something and therefore set out to conquer the highest point of the mainland - the mountain 'Nui Ba Tho'. The ascent took 15 minutes, but due to my (Emi's) current (or rather not current) lack of athleticism, it was not that easy. However, the view over the bay and the city was definitely worth it.

Conclusion:

The beauty of Ha Long Bay cannot be denied, but you can feel the presence of humans - way too much trash everywhere. There were hardly any spots in the sea where there wasn't some plastic crap floating around. If you're used to a proper waste management system, the sight is really painful. But different countries, different customs! Unfortunately!

Hasta Pronto!

E&L

>> Next stop: Sa Pa <<