Halong Bay is one of those must sees if you hit up Vietnam, or SE Asia for that matter. The drive from Hanoi is about 4 hours, where you book a journey on one of the many "junks" - which are old style boats, but actually pretty nice. An overnight or even two nights on the junk is the best way to do it. The easiest way is to book through a travel agency which is how we did it. They'll pick you up from your hotel in a shuttle bus, and off you go. So by 8:45am I was off to Halong.
There are all types of junks available, from the dirt cheap 30$ or 40$ for a night, to the more luxurious upwards of 250$. We opted for one on the nicer end, as if I am gonna sleep on a Vietnamese boat, I at least want no rats, good food, and a safety assurance. (apparently one sank a month back and a few people died. I didn't even know this!). Anyways, we went with the Calypso Cruiser, which is apparently one of the newer ones. It cost about 120$ per person, which wasn't bad at all for what we got.
Halong bay is truly a beautiful sight. Now we went in the dead of winter in January, so it was certainly a little cool with temperatures in the low 50s, and overcast and even a little drizzle and wind at times. The summer season does give you warmer weather and clearer skies during the outing. That being said, the cloudy, foggy and misty feel to the bay does give it that mysterious and mystic feel as you cruise through the bay, navigating through the hundreds of tiny rock islands in the silence of nature. It is quiet amazing even despite the chilly temperatures.
The first day on boat they set sail towards this cave that lies in the middle of the bay. On the way they served up a delicious lunch of some seafood and chicken and rice. Really good I must say. After a few beers we chilled on the upper deck seeping in the surroundings until we arrived at the "cave of wonders". We spent a couple of hours walking through this pretty amazing and huge cave, appreciating the stalagmite and stalagtite formations (I never remember which is which). Just to prove how resilient the Vietnamese market salesman are, on the Bay near the sites, there were lil old ladies in row boats going around selling drinks and chips and what not, off a little boat even! Now that is dedication.
After that we continued on the boat, had a little happy hour and hung out with the other 15 or so people on the boat. It was a great mix of people and we all got along well. The happy hour and boozing definitely helped that. Dinner was outstanding. The presentation of the food alone was very professional and artsy. I had some of the best grilled squid I ever had, and the best pumpkin soup I ever had - seriously. After dinner we drank some more and celebrated one of the couples anniversary, and in true asian fashion, as we did karaoke on the boat until about 11pm!! My room was small but adequate. Fully functional bathroom and heater. And we anchored during sleep so there was no engine noise or swaying.
Day 2 some opted to go kayaking. It was just a tad too chilly for me to be honest. So the rest of us got off at this small beach island where you could climb up about 400 steps to the top of the rock to appreciate some quite breathtaking views of Halong Bay. The day ended with lunch and the journey back to port. Definitely a great time and worth every penny, whether you come with friends, family, or your significant other.
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