After reading so much about Halong Bay, we decided to do a 2-day/1night side trip. We did some investigation before arriving in Vietnam, but had not made reservations. Our desired tour didn’t include transfer from Hanoi – another $115 adder! We instead decided to go with the tour company recommended by the hotel. We left at 8:15 for a 3.5hr journey to Halong Bay. The boat, Bahya, is made of wood with Chinese Junk style influence. It’s very charming. The capacity is 40 people, but there are only 3 other groups on board (3 Austrian women, 9 Indonesians wrapping up 2 week family trip, and 2 other people who we barely saw). The bay itself is 600 square miles and ~3000 islands, located in the Gulf of Tonkin. It’s said the bay’s topography developed 250,000 years ago when the limestone was under the ocean.
This has been the highlight of Vietnam – hands down. The scenery is absolutely stunning and has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture 2000 islands made of limestone jetting out of the Bay. Old style junks and streamer boats wandering around, among the fisherman who are seeking squid and fish.
We watched the sunrise and sunset, learned how to squid fish, did Taichi exercises after sunrise, learned to make fried spring rolls, and dined outdoors. There were also a few side trips. We went into the ‘Surprise’ grotto and visited a fishing village where the houses are on water – no usable land nearby. The floating two room school house was very adorable, as were the kids on summer holiday who rowed up to see us. We quickly learned that life as a Vietnamese fisherman is not bad – the floating water village included multiple big screen TVs w/ satellite service. Fresh water and land foods are brought in daily by one of transport ships. There are no taxes and the government pays/subsidizes the fisherman. Not a bad life in this beautiful bay.
Every worry and rush seems to melt away while we’re out here. We definitely need to get to water more frequently! :) It’s been a wonderful – but way too short - stay on the boat. Life is good…!
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