We left off with the 4-hour bus ride to Ha Long Bay. Imagine the
Autobahn, but with very slow buses, trucks and motorcycles. Throw
in some bikes, animals, and pedestrians trying to cross the road and you
might get a picture of the trip. If someone ahead of you is going
too slow, you just put on your left turn signal and they usually get out
of your way. If that doesn't work, tailgate them and honk your
horn. On two lane roads, no need to wait for a straight away to
pass into oncoming traffic, just as long as you can narrowly avoid them
to get back in your lane. For the faint of heart, it's just better
not to watch the roads. Try to enjoy the scenery or take a nap.
At the pier, there were many huge wooden boats all tied up to each
other. We were all directed to our respective vessels and off we
went. It's amazing how they got all those boats in and out of
there. We were expecting nice weather like we were having in
Hanoi, but we had no such luck. Luckily Co Phi warned us to bring
warm clothes. Shawn was planning not even to bring a long sleeve
shirt. We should have brought our coats, though...it was freezing
and overcast. To stay warm and enjoy the view, we took the blanket
from our bed to cover us and sat up on top of the boat.
Lunch on board the ship was plentiful and delicious (spring rolls,
french fries, fresh fish, sauteed veggies and tofu, etc. We also
met some very friendly folks from Germany and an obnoxious chick from
Australia. It was great to hear of all of their adventures in
different parts of Vietnam and all over Asia. After
lunch we stopped to explore two different caves and went by several
floating villages. We still are wondering how they get electricity
and TV out to these remote areas. A couple of the villagers tried
to sell us stuff by riding right up next to our boat and tying up to it
as we were cruising along. Otherwise, our ride was very peaceful
and relaxing. The rocks jutting out of the water were just
beautiful. Everyone from the guides to Co Phi had said that we
have not truly visited Vietnam until you have been to Ha Long Bay and
now we know why.
Dinner on the boat was just as good as lunch. Then we just sat
around talking and drinking until around 9 or 10 when the power was shut
off. Sleeping on the boat was interesting and cold. We just
got under the covers and didn't come out till morning. After two
amazing meals, we were quite disappointed with breakfast which consisted
of three slices of bread with butter and jam. Thank goodness we
brought along plenty of snacks, just in case. Ha Long means
"descending dragon" and this morning we heard what the
fishermen would have thought was a dragon in the caves. The water
was much rougher and as the waves crashed in and out of the caves, it
sounded as though a dragon was roaring. We were on a 2-day tour,
so we only went to Cat Ba Island to drop off the tourists on the 3-day
tour. Our guides were a lot of fun.....as we passed Monkey Island,
Shawn asked how they got there and he responded with "I don't
know....maybe you should ask the monkeys". Unfortunately our
tour didn't include stopping there, so I guess we'll never find out.
The ride back was even colder and were only able to stay on top of the
boat for a short while. Even sitting inside the boat, everyone
needed a blanket to try and stay warm. So if any of you are
considering going to Ha Long Bay, pick a warmer time of the year and
definitely go for 3 days.
