Ha long can we stay?

Leah’s here! Leah’s here! We were pleasantly surprised when Leah showed up at breakfast in the hotel this morning. We had hoped that her tour to Halong would be the same as our tour. We were very excited to get to spend some more time with our new Australian friend but were quickly disappointed when the transport arrived and Leah wasn’t on the van with us. “Are you sure your list doesn’t say Leah from Brisbane?” we all asked the tour guide. She double checked her roster and assured us that no one by the name of Leah was going to Halong in the van with us. Sadly, we bid Leah a farewell, holding out hope that we might see her on the bay.

It was a three and a half hour van ride to the city of Halong, where we arrived just a little early for our 12:30p transfer onto the boat. As we were called for our tender, I saw Leah talking with Kim. Apparently, she will be on the same boat with us but just had a different transport from Hanoi. We followed our guide, Ling, to the tender, which motored us a few minutes away to our boat. Kim and I, Carolyn and Russ, and Leah are all on the first floor right next to each other. The accommodations are beautiful. Although the outside of the “Garden Bay” could have used a fresh coat of paint, the inside was a gorgeous, dark wood, with a marble bathroom.

Halong Bay is famous for its scenery. Located in the Gulf of Tonkin, the area is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. In an area of about 1500 sq kilometers there are thousands of karsts jutting up from the water. The karsts are limestone monoliths with sheer cliffs, covered with the limited vegetation that can hang onto the steep terrain. The karsts are up to 100 meters (330 feet) in height. Our cruise is a 24 hour trip to get a taste of the area.

Ling warned us that we should expect to gain a couple of pounds during the next two days, and she may have underestimated. Lunch was a multi-course meal, starting with pumpkin soup, then continued with salad, prawns, spring rolls, steamed rice, vegetables and sea bass. After stuffing our faces, we ventured into the bay on kayaks. The weather was sunny but not overly hot, so the kayaking was perfect. All around us the limestone karsts popped out of the emerald water. They rise sharply, with steep cliffs serving as home to a variety of trees and shrubs. Clinging to the sheer face, deep pink and red flowers waved in the breeze. We passed several local fishing boats and paddled by a pearl farm. I didn’t even know that you could grow pearls on purpose. Kim and I maneuvered to the floating dock and unloaded ourselves, as well as a few pieces of trash that we grabbed along the way.

Later in the evening, we had a “cooking class” led by the chef. We all had the opportunity to mix, stuff, and roll Vietnamese egg rolls. The cook fried them up, and we saw them a bit later as an appetizer to our full meal. They were served on the top deck of the boat, while we enjoyed drinks during happy hour. Our junk (boat type) was small, with 15 passengers. It provided plenty of room for us to lounge around and privately take in the scenery, if so interested.

Dinner was even more spectacular than lunch. It included: cucumber salad, Lotus salad, Russian salad, BBQ potato and corn, broccoli and cauliflower, BBQ prawn, BBQ fish, BBQ pork, oysters, beef stew, rice, fresh fruit and tiramisu. Yikes.

With our food hardly digested, we moved to the bow of the boat to watch Carolyn, Leah, and Russ fish for squid. Although they caught none, everyone had a good time bobbing the lure up and down. Four squid were nabbed by other guests, and we have been told they will be on a plate tomorrow. This place is so beautiful, I wish we could stay and wander around the karsts for a week.Read more