Halong Bay

Magge and I have spent the last three days on a boat in Halong Bay, in northeastern Vietnam.  A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the bay is littered with nearly 2,000 limestone karst islets. Tantalized by pictures we've seen on the internet,  we've been looking forward to seeing it since we put Vietnam on the schedule.  Seeing it in person, we were not disappointed.  The scenery borders on the surreal; the bay and its jutting rocky islands look like the whimsical paintings you see in shops in Chinatown, but assumed were based on some mythical land instead of somewhere that could possibly exist naturally.

A Chinese-style junk was our primary home while on Halong Bay.  I was a bit nervous about the quality of the boat when we booked the trip, but my worries evaporated as soon as we stepped onto the junk.  Handsomely built of wood, the boat had comfortable bedrooms, a nice dining room, a big sundeck and, most importantly, clean bathrooms.  The first few hours on the boat were spent cruising around the islets and Magge and I couldn't stop taking pictures.

Our junk

View from our bedroom

Hanging out on the sundeck

Someone else's junk

Our first stop on the tour was Amazing Cave, one of the many caves carved into the soft limestone karsts in the bay.  The first impression was not great, as the stairs leading to the cave entrance were crowded and the first section (which we thought was the entire cave) was small.  Magge and I looked at each other and said, "this isn't so amazing."  However, after walking through a passageway that we both initially did not notice, the cave opened up into a massive space filled with stalactites and other rock formations.  One rock formation resembled a certain male body part, and being the mature adult that I am, I tried my hardest in the dim lighting to get a good picture.  Magge was not particularly proud as I took one picture after another as people walked by me.  None of them turned out, which was crushing.

After the cave, we were dropped off on an island and given the option of swimming at the beach of hiking to the peak to get the panoramic view.  I looked at the beach, and it was full of local families splashing in the water.  I've learned on this trip that a restaurant packed with locals is a good sign, but a beach packed with locals is not (typically dirty and/or polluted), so we took to the stairs up the mountain.  It was a good decision, as the views were phenomenal, and it was much more quiet and peaceful at the top.

Views from the top

Right before dinner, the boat anchored to let us swim, and we took turns jumping off the various levels into the warm water.  In a comical display of Vietnamese mercantile  tenacity, women on boats filled with cookies and drinks rowed over to us as we swam, asking us to buy their goods.  Sure, do you take credit card?

"Buy something from meeeeeee!"

Jumping off the sundeck

The next day we got away from the day-tripping crowds and visited Cat Ba Island to do some biking and kayaking.  Our bike ride took us along the water's edge and then into the interior of the island, where we went through rice paddies and a small village.  On our kayaks, we passed some "floating" fishing villages.  Fisherman build their houses on the water and keep their fish fresh in netted enclosures.

Biking on Cat Ba

Overwater fishing huts

Later, our boat anchored again to let us swim, and this time stationed close to an idyllic beach on yet another islet.  The boat couldn't get too close though, so we had to swim the final distance.  My mom can attest that I've never been the strongest swimmer, but she'll be proud to know that Magge and I were the only ones to get to the beach (well, we were the only ones who tried), and I didn't even come close to drowning.  I don't know if I'll ever swim in a more incredible setting.

This was the farthest I've swam since I failed the same swimming level (Red Cross grey, I think) test three times when I was eleven

 

More jumping

Our last day was reserved for getting back to the harbor and then back to Hanoi, which was fine with me because I was pretty tired.  I read a book (First They Killed My Father - I agree with Magge, it's highly recommended) while Magge conquered the world for the umpteenth time on one of her iPod games.  Good way to end three days at one of the most beautiful places in the world.