Halong Bay, Viet Nam

March 1, 2007

Halong Bay, Vietnam

Val here.

Well - Arieh and I needed a vacation from our holiday, so we took an absolutely gorgeous three-day tour to an area near Hanoi called Halong Bay. We got on the bus from our hotel hoping the boat would be pleasant and the group of 12 congenial. The time away exceeded all our hopes.

Our large boat accomodated 12 people in cosy rooms with window and bathrooms and even hot water (when the generator was on).

We had rainy, cloudy weather but there was ample room to sit and an opportunity to meet the travellers joining our adventure. There was Anglica - a lovely natured and delightful young woman from Munich who worked in the finance industry. Then, Michelle from small town northern California - and so very Californian with her slow quiet voice and her laid back manner. Two young guys from Pickering and Brampton were fun to talk to. An American retired gentleman from near New Orleans was travelling with his Chinese fiancee (she spoke little English, he little Chinese). He willingly discussed the machinations and paperwork of getting his new wife into the States once they got married in China. There was also a French middle aged couple. Then, there was the wonderful Christelle from Lausanne and her French-only speaking mother. These two joined us for the three day trip while the others returned back to Hanoi after one night on the big boat. One activity we shared together was the visist to a cave. It was huge with all the cave structures you could ask for - but because the cave had lights on, the bats had deserted it for some other spot. It was a huge and dramatic cave and we were fascinated. We then returned to the boat. We were brought to a beach where we climbed a hill. I was the only one who swam. It was quite wonderful to swim because the rock formations changed and increased the farther out you swam.

After a comfortable night on the boat including delicious meals (and the opportunity to buy pearls at your very table), Christelle, Catherine, Arieh, guide Chien, and I manouevred our way into a small boat and left the others. We cruised to a small village on Cat Bo Island. To get the the village they provided bicycles - but 3 of us opted to take a moto (you jump on a motorcycle with your driver). Arieh and Chien chose to ride bicycles.

After a 20 minute ride we were in the middle of a valley on Cat Bo Island. Not surprisingly, this village is a good place to hide during Viet Nam wars and political turmois because it is so remote. The land is fertile and good for agriculture so we saw rice fields and vegetable fields. There was even a large, muddy pond for farming fresh fish for the community. Each house had a dog, and remote as the town seemed, they had a pool table (although the queues seemed to be broken), a fridge for cold drinks, and a clean W.C.

Chien took us on a walk through the town and into the national park where we visited a half-built traditional village with deserted large houses and even a temple of Literature - a place of study. Apparently a wealthy American has a Viet Namese wife and wants to give this fabricated village as a tourist magnet - a traditional village. It was most interesting and I do hope it works out for them. In the meantime, the wife's brother and family live on the property and protect it until the government willingly removes impediments to its completion.
The five of us returned to our boat for a delicious lunch. We then cruised to a different spot near the rock formations and kayaked into a lovely coral area, going through a hole in the rock and into a gorgeous area (see photo).

The sea was calm and the weather cool and comfortable. The overcast skies made the rock formations that surrounded us all the more mysterious and beautiful.

That evening we slept in a hotel at another part of Cat Bo Island and the next day the small boat ferried us to the large boat. Then back to Hanoi. I should mention that much like the land traffic of V. N., the boat traffic and parking was a mess. We had to walk through 4 parked boats to get to the wharf. Ah, Viet Nam!!

We couldn't thank Chien enough for his warm and wonderful personality and knowledge. We also enjoyed the company of our new friends Christelle and Catherine and hope to see them again somewhere, sometime. We had so many laughs and such fun beating them in the kayaks (hope they're not reading this...)

The holiday from the holiday is over. A complete success. If Allison is reading this - the tour was organized by the Viet Anh Hotel (our booking elsewhere fell through because of a sick boat) - the price was right and it was an excellent tour. I guess things have changed since you were there.

Now to Laos!