The 3.5 hour trip to Halong Bay was uneventful, except the part when some British backpackers quizzed the Vietnamese guide on what rice plants look like, and he couldn't explain it...someone eventually said they must look like wheat, but no one was really sure...lol
As soon as we boarded the junk and got our rooms, we went up to chill on the deck. It was quite literal as I'd left warmer clothes in my big backpack and I was really really cold. Bah! There weren't enough sun chairs for all of us, and we were only at half-capacity!
Yet another weak, watery beer. Same goes for 333 and Beer Ha Noi. Really made me weep lol. It's probably got to do with being in a can as well...
actually had a better room except the bathroom door wouldn't close! when I told the Viet staff, he just told me to ignore it HAHAHA. Customer service is a bit of a foreign concept here sometimes. Has it occurred to you that may be I don't want to go to the toilet with the door open?? No point kicking up a fuss though, just had to let the American guide know and let him get another room for me.
The colours of Halong Bay on a good day. Unfortunately it was overcast 99% of the time we were on the water...
Some people jumped off the deck for a swim, but I was already freezing, so I went kayaking instead. It was hard-going (although strangely I didn't feel sore in the shoulders or arms afterwards). Got totally soaked by the water that came up with the oars so obviously was doing it all wrong! The Vietnamese staff on the other hand flew past gracefully, and completely dry hahaha. We visited a cave, and I seriously contemplated asking to be paired with a guy on the way back, but decided to take the front and set the pace instead so we didn't come last again haha. Somehow it was easier on the way back so I was pretty proud of not giving up and taking the easy way out.
We explored a really nice cave, not the same one as all the other tours, so we didn't have to share it with other tour groups. We crawled through tiny holes, and came out to 'Fairy's Lake'. It was very pretty and there was this amazing ringing birdsong in the air, which was a lovely surprise because I remember a traveler telling me that the thing she noticed about Halong Bay was the lack of animal-life. I guess you had to get on the actual islands to see/hear something. Unfortunately the Vietnamese guide kept imitating the calls (badly). Looks were deceiving - the lake was muddy, ringed with sharp rocks and full of sandflies, so no swimming here...
Halong Bay was beautiful and the mist added to the mystique, although it did get monotonous after a while. I would love to revisit on a sunny day!
all junks have to moor in the same bay at night
After a hot shower and a nice dinner (fried whole fish, chicken, choko and garlic, clams, beef, fried and steamed rice), we started on the drinking games with our American guide. It was so much fun and someone ended up having to suck someone else's toe hahaha. The next morning I found out one guy had fallen into the water with his ipod lol. Typical.
The next morning dawned drizzly and misty, not to mention cold, so we all sat inside after a nice brekkie of bacon, omelet and coffee, and chatted to each other until half the people on our junk left to go to a private island, and the people from the island joined our junk to go home. The English guys were really courteous! they actually came over to shake hands with me and we wished each other a good journey (didn't happen with the girls! haha).
I bought a bottle of water from this lady, because it's so much cheaper than buying on the boat! I didn't know until later that I could have attracted a swarm of vendors, but I was the only person there at 8 am, and so was she. It was quite surreal watching her paddle away into the mist, not another boat in sight.
Lunch was similarly good, and fun as the new group that joined us was pretty wild; they had their own games, such as ordering from the bar while doing a hand-stand...(yes...but with help from other people), and one guy lost some game so he had to eat an entire plate of rice with his hands behind his back. It was bloody hilarious because he looked like he was dying and had rice up his nostrils LOL. Overall I was pretty happy with Hanoi Backpackers, especially the quality of the food. Probably too rowdy though, if you don't like drinking games.
We stayed at Hanoi Backpackers when we got back, just to save any hassles. First time in a dorm (of 12!) after a few years...and no I didn't miss it! The bathroom was so tiny and had no hooks! Anyway, we went and had an egg coffee at no. 11 Hang Gai street, as recommended by the travelers we met in Sapa. It wasn't like pavlova, as I'd imagined; rather it's just got a really smooth and very sweet layer of froth on top. I thought it was ok but my travel buddy really loved it.
Pretty tired after the tight schedule, had an early night to catch an early flight to Luang Prabang, Laos!
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