Tai Lai

An early start to the day with a private car to Halong bay for our 2-night excursion around Cat Ba Island. E&J and kids plus us, with all the luggage made for a cramped but cheerful ride. The driver seemed amazed at how much we stuffed in his trunk. It was even photo worthy for him! Additionally, child seats are not required here, or we would not have all fit.

We had a good chuckle when he asked us where he was taking us, 🤔 so we called the hotel who booked it so they could speak to him. It was a bit disconcerting as he spent the whole 3 hours drive texting and talking on the phone, not to mention That said, we did arrive safely at the dock with plenty of time 'till departure. The marina was packed with tour boats of all sizes!

The small shuttle boat took us through very narrow channels past the multitude of limestone monoliths. We did get briefly stuck on a sand bar at one point as the tide was very low 🫣

We were welcomed heartily by the crew of the Doris as we transfered to the cruiseship, and ventured up for lunch while our cabins were prepared. Once settled in the very comfortable adjoining rooms we went for a soak in the "hot tub" that was more of a slightly-warmer, shallow pool at the bow of the boat.

The sundeck for the "sunset" party (without sun) and happy hour drinks was next, followed by the bbq dinner. The buffet meal was decent, though not all food cooked when the service started so some us had to wait for the second batch of grilled goodness.

The next morning we boarded a mid-sized vessel for our day excursion onto Cat Ba Island and nearby village. E&J and kids took the electric shuttle and we cycled to the village; the bicycle route went through a low tunnel! Many of the cyclists gave up on the short steep hill to push their single-gear bicycles up. A quick tour around town, a coffee, and we were back to the boat. Next was a quick kayak paddle in a shallow bay before returning to the cruise ship. Many shore areas are meticulously lined with plastic tubs which hold oysters growing their pearls. Since it was a cool 16C day, all guests agreed skipping the optional ocean swim was a good idea. Water temperatures are quite warm though.

The ship is on a repetitive schedule welcoming guests onboard for one, two or more nights. So night two, as you can guess, was another sunset party and happy hour, followed by bbq dinner.

The evening activity is squid fishing from the rear deck. The night was much warmer than the previous and more guests joined. Few squid could be seen in the water and very few bites. The party ended quickly when one of the crew successfully caught 3 squid in the net, and the Australian group were inked on their clothes and hair! 🫢

We enjoyed our water-front soaker bath tub before Disembarkation instead of breakfast. An early lunch was served before the shuttle boat returned us to the marina. Thankfully we had a slightly larger private minivan to the airport.

We got our last visits for a few hours at the Hanoi airport before our friends flew to Tokyo and us to Thailand for the next adventures!Read more