Halong Bay or Bust

This morning we enjoyed one last breakfast at our hotel (the fruit here is exceptional!) and then met our group in the lobby. We all piled on to a large bus and started our three hour drive to Halong Bay, which is in the northeastern part of Vietnam.

Brad and I were completely stunned to find that once you leave Hanoi proper there exists a large suburban area that looks fairly North American. This is a stark contrast from the crowded, noisy, and building on top of building look that a lot of Hanoi has.

Our guide explained a lot of the history of Vietnam to us while also showing us the rice, vegetable, and duck and fish farms along the highway. We were able to see the vast ponds filled with blooming lotus flowers as well as water buffalo! It’s a bit unfortunate that we were in a bus and weren’t able to get good photos, but the rice farms were really something to behold! You can only grow rice three times during a year as it takes about four months to grow and process. The south can grow rice year long because it’s warmer, but the north cannot grow rice during their winter.

We were so pleased to even just leave the city for a bit to see the countryside!

About two hours into our bus ride, we stopped at a shop that employs people who are disabled. Many, including the man we met, have been disfigured due to the lasting impact of Agent Orange. They are employed at this shop to create handicrafts and other works of art for purchase.

Back on the road, we had an hour until we reached the resort-like Halong Bay. We were taken to our junk boat where we would spend the day and sleep overnight. Once on the boat, we were served an eight course meal that featured squid, spring rolls, rice, fish cakes, crab cakes, and fresh fruit for dessert. Then, we set off on a smaller boat to go kayaking in the bay. This was probably one of the coolest moments of my life! The islands (there are 1969 of them!) rise up out of the bay and they are incredible! We got to kayak around the cove and through one of the caves in an island. It was beautiful!

Following kayaking, we made a quick pit stop back at our main boat to get changed for a hike and swim. We went to another island where we hiked to the top (very similar to the Grouse Grind) and took in the panoramic views. Then we hiked back down and got to go swimming, which was quite refreshing after all the heat and humidity we’ve endured.

After an hour of swimming, we went back to the main boat to watch the sunset from the top deck. For dinner, we had another ten course meal with grilled prawns, oysters, curry, fish with mushrooms, papaya salad, grilled cabbage, and fresh fruit. Once dinner was over, the group sang some karaoke (no, not Brad) and then Brad and I retired down below for the evening. We have an early start tomorrow as breakfast is at 7 am and then we are off to explore some caves!Read more