Cruising Halong Bay

Typhoon Rammasun almost preempted our cruise of Halong Bay, but once again the weather gods blessed us.  Even though our guide called the cruise company several times over the two days preceding our trip, including multiple times during the drive from Hanoi to Halong City, we didn't know whether we would be able to board until we arrived at the cruise terminal. All trips out on the bay had been cancelled for three days due to the storm. Lucky for us, the wind and rain stopped and the sun came out just before we were scheduled to leave on our cruise.





We were met by the crew on the pier in Halong City, where we boarded our Vietnamese junk with anticipation.  While our boat was large with 14 cabins, there were only 10 other passengers on board.  Our cabins were more spacious and luxurious than on a typical cruise ship, with teak paneling and vases of roses in each cabin.

Photo credit:  Emily

Photo credit:  Emily

We settled into our cabins and then set off immediately to explore the bay.  We watched the islands and ships go by as we enjoyed a multi-course lunch.  Then we set off in kayaks to explore a floating village, complete with a school and museum.  It was fascinating to see how people lived on the bay; most seemed to subsist by fishing.  One of our favorite sites was the floating mini-mart that approached our boat.  An elderly woman in a fishing boat held up a can of Pringles to see if we'd like to purchase a snack.  Who knew that Pringles were available in tiny fishing villages?

Photo credit:  Emily

The second day we boarded a private day boat to explore more remote areas of the bay.  Our family had the boat to ourselves for the day, with the exception of a crew of 4.  We were pleasantly surprised to learn that the day boat was quite large, with a dining room, large air conditioned lounging area, huge sundeck with chaises and tables and chairs, bathrooms and showers.  This boat also towed kayaks, which enabled us to take excursions to explore caves and lagoons.  In addition, we were ferried by bamboo boat to a pearl farm, where we learned all about cultivation and took a tour to see each step in the process.

Once again we were served a multi-course Vietnamese lunch consisting of local seafood and vegetables.  While there was much more food than we could possibly eat, it was fun to try a number of traditional dishes prepared with local ingredients.  I could get used to having a personal chef and waiter....  While we were enjoying lunch another junk sailed by.  We looked across and saw that the passengers of the other boat were also enjoying lunch.  Much to our amazement, we recognized three of the other passengers as the family from Wales who joined us as elephant caretakers at Patara in Thailand.  It truly is a small world!

Photo credit:  Emily

On the third day we disembarked to visit Ti Top island, named after the Russian cosmonaut Gherman Stepanovich Titov who holidayed on the island with Ho Chi Minh in the 1960s.  We climbed to the top of the "mountain" to see territorial views and the 1969 islands and islets within the bay.  After the climb we descended to swim and sun on the beach.  The water wasn't as pristine as we had hoped; we were surprised to see litter floating in the water.  Throughout our trip I've thought of the benefits of environmental regulations -- and the impact of dense population without the standards to which we're accustomed.

Photo credit:  Emily

Evening activities on the boat were simple but fun.  We attended cooking demonstrations and learned how to cut fruit and vegetable garnishes (not nearly as easy as it looks) and how to roll fresh spring rolls.  Mark and I enjoyed watching movies set in Vietnam while the girls tried their hands at squid fishing off the boat.  After two long evenings of effort, Emily caught two squid with her bamboo line. We were amazed to see how much ink one squid could squirt, and how much they jumped around in the bowl!  While I advocated for catching and releasing the squid, the crew opted to cook and eat them instead.

At the end of the cruise we were sorry to get off the boat.  We enjoyed the relaxation and leisurely exploration.  We braced ourselves to return to the chaos of Hanoi.           - Michelle

Photo credit:  Emily