While we try to do most destinations independently, reading the directions in our LP regarding Halong Bay made my head spin. Couple that with the huge variety of affordable and convenient tours leaving from Hanoi and we decided to give ourselves a break. Moving on to our trusty second source of info (www.travelfish.org - thanks Aunty Marsha!) we settled on a company called Handspan. As soon as we were on the bus, I knew we’d made the right choice. Our guides were super friendly and VERY informative. (Did you know that the conical hat has four functions? Four!) One guide, Duc, even hopped on a random motorbike to chase down the bus when one girl forgot her camera on board.
Regardless of how you get there, Halong Bay is gorgeous! I was so excited to be near the sea again, and was amazed by the over 3000 rocky islands jutting up out of the water. Our first day started out a bit rainy, but before long the sun managed to fight through and we had near perfect weather for the remainder of the three days. The first day and night we spent on a “junk”. I had never really encountered this term before, but regardless, this boat was anything but junk. We had a nice room with A/C (and more than a few mosquitos though unfortunately . . .), a lounging deck on top of the boat, and a delicious restaurant. The whole 3 day trip actually, they fed us way too much fantastic seafood. That afternoon, we enjoyed the view from the junk, and took a small tour of one of the many floating villages. Even though I am getting a bit over village visits by now, it was different than any we had seen to date. I couldn’t figure out why there were so many dogs, with no land around, but Duc (so informative!) enlightened me that theft from the villagers’ fish farms was a real problem. They needed the dogs to guard their livelihood during the night.
Next day we awoke to beautiful sunny weather. Originally there were six of us, but only four staying for three days. The other two in our group were really fun and interesting girls, Autumn from New York and Angelique from Holland. The four of us transferred to another boat and spent the day kayaking, swimming, sunbathing, and eating. Fabulous! Even Perry was bold enough to jump into the big bad ocean with no land in grasping distance. (You’d think he wouldn’t be so nervous after scuba diving . . . ) I was also afraid, but of the jellyfish we saw occasionally from our kayaks. I swallowed my fear though when Duc assured me that this type of jellyfish sting wouldn’t be too painful. (And that he had vinegar on board so we wouldn’t have to resort to other more primitive remedies . . . .) It was a perfect day which ended with a nice surprise. We were to spend our second night in a hotel on Cat Ba Island. Since the three day tour wasn’t too expensive, I wasn’t expecting much, but we ended up at what I found out later was the best resort on the Island. Cat Ba Sunrise Resort was a nice treat and we took full advantage of our fancy room and western style shower.
Over more seafood that night, Duc offered to join us for a motorbike trip the next morning prior to our return for Hanoi. All three of us girls were a little nervous, but he promised a lesson and that the roads on Cat Ba Island were nicely paved and not too busy. He also mentioned he found the road to be one of the most beautiful in Vietnam. We were sold! Next morning after a very thorough lesson for all three ladies, our motorbike gang was off. It was gorgeous, and definitely a fun drive. Duc also suggested a great local restaurant for lunch that was about 1/10 the price of our hotel and super tasty. It was a truly a perfect end to such a relaxing three days.
For more photos of Halong Bay, visit http://gallery.me.com/adamschen
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