Halong Bay

The train rattled into Hanoi at just before 5am and we were feeling quite refreshed after a decent nights sleep. We were met at the train station by a lovely young lady who then put us in a taxi to be taken to a hotel nearby where we would have a room until being picked up at 8am for the trip to Halong Bay. We arrived in the street to find everything very locked up and we were beginning to think that we were going to have to sit in the gentle rain and wait outside for the bus, when a door was suddenly unlocked and a hand beckoned us in. Time for an hour kip, a shower and breakfast then we were off. The trip up to Halong bay took about 4 hours including a stop half way for a loo break and a browse through an art and craft centre of the disabled. Once in Halong we stuck close to our guide as we pushed through the throng of tourists to the pier and then onto our luxurious boat. There are over 400 boats that ply Halong Bay so you can imagine the number of tourists there.

Halong Bay covers an area of 1,500 square km. With over 1900 limestone peaks rising up from its emerald waters this area is rightly viewed as one of the natural wonders of Vietnam and is one of five World Heritage-listed sites. I am afraid I cannot do the scenery justice with my limited writing abilities, so perhaps you will get more idea of the wonder of the place from my photos. We began by taking our bags to our beautiful room, the whole boat has recently been renovated so is all gleaming wood and the bed is huge with a decent sized bathroom and even an air conditioner. Then up on deck to enjoy a decadent lunch of loads of seafood with the other 8 guests on the boat. From the window we watched the scenery unfold. What makes Halong Bay so amazing is the way the land and sea fill the horizon with all manner of extraordinary shapes and colours. As we left the harbour and potted out to sea we were delighted by the limestone islands that jutted out of the jade waters, most of them tall hillocks jutting straight out of the water, topped by some trees or brush. On some of the islands sandy beaches ring the island while in others there are hollowed out caves to excite the explorer.

We are heading to one of these caves, unfortunately along with many other junks filled to the brim with passengers. As we get closer we pass some floating villages going about their daily business. There was even a floating school in the first one that we saw. Tourism has had a huge impact here as women in small row boats ply the bay attempting to sell their wares to the passing boats, everything from food to souvenirs. We disembarked with the crowds of tourist and started the climb the steps up to the entrance of the cave. It was a pretty spectacular cave with three main caverns getting bigger as you go in. It was filled with stalactites that created all sorts of shapes that our guide insisted on showing us, everything from Buddhas, to different animals to even some lewd shapes which I will leave up to your imagination.

Once out of the cave we descended to the boat and set off for another bay. Here there was an island with a large hollowed out cave that lead into a sea lake surrounded by sheer cliffs on each side. It looks like it may once have been a volcano. The mouth of this cave fills up in high tide, so while the tide was still low to hopped on kayaks and paddled through the calm waters of the bay and into the almost completely still water of the internal lake. It was so quiet and peaceful here, even the cries of birds seemed to be lost here. What an idyllic place it would be if there were no one else here. After a bit of a kayak we then readied ourselves for another spectacular meal again including fare from the sea. As the sun set over the limestone peaks, we anchored and settled in for the night, gently rocking on the sea lulling us to sleep.

The word Halong translates as descending dragons which alludes to a Vietnamese legend that accounts for the unique topography of Halong Bays coastline. According to this myth, the islands off the bay were formed by a family of great dragons that came down from the heavens, spitting up rock and going out valleys to ward off an invading navy. The dragons were apparently enamoured with the natural beauty of Halong Bay, and decided to stay rather than return to heaven. You do certainly get the feeling that the landscape is in fact the peaks on the back of many dragons.





The following morning started with lying out on the top deck to enjoy the scenery of the bay in the early morning as breakfast was prepared for us. I was half hoping that the morning would be misty as I am sure that mist swirling around the tops of the islands would be spectacular, but the day dawned hot and clear. After breakfast we upped anchor and headed off to another bay where there was a pagoda on the top of one of the islands. 425 steps later we were at the top, where the views around the bay were amazing. Dripping with sweat we descended and then chose a swim to cool down a bit before enjoying lunch. Can one ever tire of eating seafood, I for one cannot.

All too soon it was time for us to head back to Halong, I would definitely recommend spending another night here, what a pity we were running out of time. Once on shore it was time to make the 4 hour trip back to Hanoi. We decided on a bit of a competition to see who could see the most unusual thing on the back of a motorbike. It was probably the live water buffalo strapped to the back that one, or maybe the pigs, or cages of chickens. Out in the country in this area they are harvesting their second crop of rice for the year. All villages seem to be on higher pieces of land surrounded by lower lying flood plains designated to cropping rice and other vegetable crops. Even here the strange land tax on the frontage of buildings seems to exist as 3 storied high narrow buildings jut out of the landscape. Arriving back in Hanoi was some adventure as the traffic began to build up and we were driving through popular areas. I was beginning to wonder if we were ever going to get through the sea of bikes, it is really something to be seen to be believed.