In the morning we woke up early and got ready to leave for Halong Bay with a tour we organized with our guesthouse. Halong Bay was about 3 hours from Hanoi and the tour we booked was for 3 days and 2 nights, 1 night on a junk boat cruising through the bay and the other night on Cat Ba Island.
The tour included our lodging, all the activities we would be doing, and all of our meals. We only paid $85 a person which was an awesome deal but we were actually pretty skeptical of the quality as we know most people pay around $150 for only one night! Nevertheless, we booked it as it was the only tour that included everything we wanted to do and crossed our fingers we would get the quality we wanted. We got on a bus with some other travelers to head to the bay.
Halong Bay, is a World Heritage site and being pushed as a new 7th wonder of the world. The bay holds close to 2,000 limestone islands and islets in all different shapes and sizes. We got to the pier and looked out at the cliffs in the distance and hundreds of junk boats in the bay. I had never been on a boat that looked anything like these. They were all wooden with giant yellow sails that looked as if they were something pirates once sailed in. They remined me of something you may sail off to discover a “new world” in and put together with the surroundings it made for amazing scenery. We hopped on a ferry which shuttled us to our home for the next day, The Amigo! The boat was beautifully painted on the outside, and when we hopped on we were equally blown away by the décor on the inside. The main room was the dining area, and with lit lanterns and fancy tables, in our swimsuits and tank tops we already felt underdressed. We were assigned our room and still not left unsatisfied. The room was awesome with a big comfy bed and large bathroom, all more than we had expected to find on the boat!
We immediately changed and headed to the dining room where we would get our first meal! The waiters in their fancy suits brought to the table never-ending dishes of extremely fresh and delicious seafood. Stuffed and giddy about how awesome this all was we headed to the top deck of the boat which was filled with lounge chairs to check out the scenery we were cruising through. The limestone cliffs surrounded us on both sides and as far as you could see. It truly was amazing. After cruising for about an hour we began to pass fishing villages nestled along the waters of the islands. These villages were tiny floating houses, all brightly painted and surrounded by nets. I can’t imagine how a whole family would live in one but their miniature porches were adorned with babies, people sleeping in hammocks, and even puppies and large dogs ran around the woodwork surrounding the nets. I was really perplexed about the dogs and that every house had one. They definitely can’t get much energy out stuck on the boats, and how do they go to the bathroom? Some houses stood alone in the waters, while in other areas the villages were so big they even had waterways that looked like streets and floating convenience stores.
We headed towards a cove and were told by our extremely chipper guide that we would be visiting “Surprise Cave”. Tons of boats were parked in the cove and we headed with a large crowd up stone stairs on the side of one of the limestone island until we reached a large gaping hole in the side of the mountain. The cave we entered we immediately realized was immense. The cave cavern went back as far as we could see. Different walls were illuminated with different colors and narrow pathways lead us winding around the cave. I kept thinking that we would reach the end but the path would wind around into yet another giant chamber. We reached a giant penis shaped rock which we learned why when they cave was discovered in 1902, they deemed it “Surprise Cave”.
After leaving the cave we looked down on the bay and the amazing view. The boats were shining in the sun, some with their golden sails drawn, all surrounded by the amazing limestone karsts. It truly made us take in the unbelievable place we were in. After the cave trip we headed to some floating houses to rent kayaks to float around for the next hour. We came up on some of the islands and sailed through the fishing villages, watching the children play around on the porches, and even (though they could barely walk) climbing into row boats and pushing themselves around for entertainment. We paddled back to hang out on the dock of the floating house, which to our surprise even had a pool table for their entertainment. Felix played some pool while I played with the friendly houseboat dogs that I’m guessing were used as guard dogs but were so friendly they came right up and licked your face and climbed into your lap.
After a day out in the sun it was time to head back to our boat. Felix and some of the boys on the boats jumped off the top deck of the boat, and immediately when hitting the water were accosted by women in row boats selling just about any kind of food or beer you could imagine. We got cleaned up and ready for dinner, which was yet another aaaaamazing seafood FEAST where probably 12 dishes were served. After dinner we headed up to the top deck. We were parked in an area where all the tour boats were staying for the night and they were all twinkling with lights in the bay. It was so quiet in the calm water and you could see so many stars, we enjoyed the scenery for awhile before heading to our cozy bed early to prepare for another adventure the next day.
The next morning we woke up early and headed straight to the upper deck to check out the early morning view. It was misty and put a whole new look to all the cliffs. We enjoyed a great breakfast in the dining room, and relaxed on the upper deck for awhile until it started to rain. The rain grew pretty heavy, but we would continue on with the tour so after saying out goodbyes to everyone who stayed on the boat only to do the 1 day tour we transferred to a smaller junk boat. Only two French girls from the Virgin Islands came with us so the 4 of us had a whole boat to ourselves. We thought we had already seen most of the views of the islands but the boat turned further into the cliffs and through nooks and crannies didn’t know we could go through. We found ourselves surrounded on both sides by the cliffs and looked at all the holes and caves they held. It truly felt like we were in uncharted territory that only we discovered. We headed towards a pier on an island and our guide told us we would be bicycling 7km through the island. It only lightly drizzled now so we happily got of the boat and grabbed our bikes. The scene was incredible. As we peddled there were still lakes with the mountains reflected into them beside us. As the bike path went on we would be surrounded by untamed jungle on both sides of us filled with overgrown lush green vegetation. We never knew which was the path was going to turn and around every bend there was a new beautiful scene. In the end we turned a corner and the path went straight through bright green rice fields on both sides of us while a giant mountain face stood before us.
We finally turned into a village, with chickens and puppies running all around and stopped at a hut to take a break. We were virtually the only tourists there and sat at a wooden table watching the little chicks run around our feet. There was a giant jar on the table filled with dead poisonous snakes (AND a baby bird it was eating) for rice wine. They told us for only 60 U.S dollars we could take one home for us! The guide told us the background of rice wine (which is what we were given free shots of everywhere in Laos, and tastes TERRIBLE) and he said it was for the field workers. They caught these poisons snakes or whatever creepy crawly thing and let it sit for a few years in the jar until it became the rice wine. No Vietnamese man under 35 was allowed to drink it. The rice wine is said to have special healing powers for an aching back and for “long-lasting in the bed” so it was reserved for the older men. Our guide wasn’t yet old enough to drink any yet but seemed very excited at the prospect of getting to soon.After the break we headed back on the path we came from and boarded the boat again for yet another lunch feast of delicious fried spring rolls, fresh fish, dumplings, and even French fries. While we ate the boat men went to one of the fishing villages and bought a fish from their nets. They pulled out a large white fish right there and stunned it and then brought it back on the boat to cook for the crew! We hung out at the fishing house for awhile and walked around their nets to see the fish. They had areas packed with a kind of fish I’ve never seen that was very large and white with a long black stripe on both sides of their body from their head to their tail. The people who lived there told us to come over and lifted a board to show us something. Underneath was a MASSIVE fish that probably weighed 100lbs. It was all different colors, and very tropical looking but just kind of floating around in its little confinement. When we asked them if they were going to eat it they laughed at us and told us it was just their pet!
We laid on the deck finally catching some sun and snoozed for a bit (yes, we couldn’t get enough of it!) while we cruised over to Monkey Beach. The beach was a small area on the side of an island, with few tourists. The entire beach was COVERED in coral that had washed up. Felix swam and I spent most of my time like a crazy old lady combing through the coral looking for shells. In only 30 minutes walked away having found about 30 beautiful whole shells that are the kind you see sold in shops.
We finally headed to our final stop for the tour, Cat Ba Island. Cat Ba is the largest island in Halong Bay and is filled with restaurants and hotels for tourists, along with a national park, and many caves. Unfortunatly we were pretty wiped out and it was late afternoon when we got there so we opted to relax in the air-conditioning and then it became too late to see the sights. When we were refresed we walked around the roads of the island to check it out. The narrow Vietnamese architecture was present here too and hotels went as high as 10 stories all packed together against the mountain cliffs. They looked like colorful dominos stacked against each other. The town was pretty deserted, but the mountains around it were beautiful and the peacefulness of the town was pleasant. We parked ourselves on some plastic chairs packed with locals where they served Bai Hoi (only about .25 cents and drank for awhile until our free dinner on the rooftop of the hotel.
The next morning we had another breakfast courtesy of the tour before boarding our ferry boat, and then the Amigo once more for yet another seafood lunch. We continued our lounging regime on the upper decks for the next few hours before cruising back to Halony Bay City and ending our tour. For lack of better words the whole thing was nothing less than magical. The limestone cliffs, ammmmazing seafood meals, great activities, and luxurious rooms made the whole tour one of the best $85 we have ever spent!
We immediately changed and headed to the dining room where we would get our first meal! The waiters in their fancy suits brought to the table never-ending dishes of extremely fresh and delicious seafood. Stuffed and giddy about how awesome this all was we headed to the top deck of the boat which was filled with lounge chairs to check out the scenery we were cruising through. The limestone cliffs surrounded us on both sides and as far as you could see. It truly was amazing. After cruising for about an hour we began to pass fishing villages nestled along the waters of the islands. These villages were tiny floating houses, all brightly painted and surrounded by nets. I can’t imagine how a whole family would live in one but their miniature porches were adorned with babies, people sleeping in hammocks, and even puppies and large dogs ran around the woodwork surrounding the nets. I was really perplexed about the dogs and that every house had one. They definitely can’t get much energy out stuck on the boats, and how do they go to the bathroom? Some houses stood alone in the waters, while in other areas the villages were so big they even had waterways that looked like streets and floating convenience stores.
We headed towards a cove and were told by our extremely chipper guide that we would be visiting “Surprise Cave”. Tons of boats were parked in the cove and we headed with a large crowd up stone stairs on the side of one of the limestone island until we reached a large gaping hole in the side of the mountain. The cave we entered we immediately realized was immense. The cave cavern went back as far as we could see. Different walls were illuminated with different colors and narrow pathways lead us winding around the cave. I kept thinking that we would reach the end but the path would wind around into yet another giant chamber. We reached a giant penis shaped rock which we learned why when they cave was discovered in 1902, they deemed it “Surprise Cave”.
After leaving the cave we looked down on the bay and the amazing view. The boats were shining in the sun, some with their golden sails drawn, all surrounded by the amazing limestone karsts. It truly made us take in the unbelievable place we were in. After the cave trip we headed to some floating houses to rent kayaks to float around for the next hour. We came up on some of the islands and sailed through the fishing villages, watching the children play around on the porches, and even (though they could barely walk) climbing into row boats and pushing themselves around for entertainment. We paddled back to hang out on the dock of the floating house, which to our surprise even had a pool table for their entertainment. Felix played some pool while I played with the friendly houseboat dogs that I’m guessing were used as guard dogs but were so friendly they came right up and licked your face and climbed into your lap.
After a day out in the sun it was time to head back to our boat. Felix and some of the boys on the boats jumped off the top deck of the boat, and immediately when hitting the water were accosted by women in row boats selling just about any kind of food or beer you could imagine. We got cleaned up and ready for dinner, which was yet another aaaaamazing seafood FEAST where probably 12 dishes were served. After dinner we headed up to the top deck. We were parked in an area where all the tour boats were staying for the night and they were all twinkling with lights in the bay. It was so quiet in the calm water and you could see so many stars, we enjoyed the scenery for awhile before heading to our cozy bed early to prepare for another adventure the next day.
We finally turned into a village, with chickens and puppies running all around and stopped at a hut to take a break. We were virtually the only tourists there and sat at a wooden table watching the little chicks run around our feet. There was a giant jar on the table filled with dead poisonous snakes (AND a baby bird it was eating) for rice wine. They told us for only 60 U.S dollars we could take one home for us! The guide told us the background of rice wine (which is what we were given free shots of everywhere in Laos, and tastes TERRIBLE) and he said it was for the field workers. They caught these poisons snakes or whatever creepy crawly thing and let it sit for a few years in the jar until it became the rice wine. No Vietnamese man under 35 was allowed to drink it. The rice wine is said to have special healing powers for an aching back and for “long-lasting in the bed” so it was reserved for the older men. Our guide wasn’t yet old enough to drink any yet but seemed very excited at the prospect of getting to soon.After the break we headed back on the path we came from and boarded the boat again for yet another lunch feast of delicious fried spring rolls, fresh fish, dumplings, and even French fries. While we ate the boat men went to one of the fishing villages and bought a fish from their nets. They pulled out a large white fish right there and stunned it and then brought it back on the boat to cook for the crew! We hung out at the fishing house for awhile and walked around their nets to see the fish. They had areas packed with a kind of fish I’ve never seen that was very large and white with a long black stripe on both sides of their body from their head to their tail. The people who lived there told us to come over and lifted a board to show us something. Underneath was a MASSIVE fish that probably weighed 100lbs. It was all different colors, and very tropical looking but just kind of floating around in its little confinement. When we asked them if they were going to eat it they laughed at us and told us it was just their pet!
We finally headed to our final stop for the tour, Cat Ba Island. Cat Ba is the largest island in Halong Bay and is filled with restaurants and hotels for tourists, along with a national park, and many caves. Unfortunatly we were pretty wiped out and it was late afternoon when we got there so we opted to relax in the air-conditioning and then it became too late to see the sights. When we were refresed we walked around the roads of the island to check it out. The narrow Vietnamese architecture was present here too and hotels went as high as 10 stories all packed together against the mountain cliffs. They looked like colorful dominos stacked against each other. The town was pretty deserted, but the mountains around it were beautiful and the peacefulness of the town was pleasant. We parked ourselves on some plastic chairs packed with locals where they served Bai Hoi (only about .25 cents and drank for awhile until our free dinner on the rooftop of the hotel.
I like this post, Such A Great Experience
ReplyDeleteGreat story! Thanks, I’ll be heading there in a few weeks.
ReplyDelete