Ha Long Bay
Xin chào mọi người tuyệt vời
Ha Long Bay is probably one of the most stunningly beautiful
places I have ever been to. Located in North Vietnam, around 3 hours from
Hanoi, the bay consists of nearly 2,000 islands and is home to the most
fabulously clear blue water I have ever seen. Before visiting Vietnam I am ashamed to say I had never heard of Ha Long
Bay, which is a World Heritage Site, and was intrigued to see what could be so
enthralling about an expanse of water dotted with islands.
I booked onto a two day, one night tour package that departed
from Hanoi and included all meals, entry to an island cave, sea kayaking and
accommodation on board the tour boat. I would recommend shopping around for a
deal if you are to visit Ha Long Bay, and always try to haggle down the price.
We met some people on our boat that paid double the price we had for exactly the
same package. Scandal, I know, but hey ho that's Asia for you (remember: follow the golden rule to always haggle and you'll be fine and dandy)! After a long drive, in a sweaty minivan and some waiting around at the port, we finally boarded the boat and began our journey into the bay. We were immediately given lunch, which consisted of the most amazing food and went down very well! There was Freshly caught
fish cooked with crazy herbs and spices, rice, an array of Asian vegetables, spring rolls and
good old chips for the less adventurous!
Our first stop was at a small island that had a large network
of caves hidden within. This proved to be the first wonder that I experienced during
my Ha Long Bay trip. After a short climb you enter the caves through a narrow
opening in the side of the cliff and are greeted by a cavernous space
illuminated by multi-coloured lights. After
walking through the cave system and out the other side we headed back to the
boat to venture further into the bay.
We sailed past the most awe-inspiring islands, topped with lush greenery and accompanied by sheer cliffs plunging into the sea. We then came across a floating village and moored up to enjoy some sea kayaking trough the beautifully calm, clear waters. You could even pay a small fee to kayak into a small cave, where a scene from James Bond was filmed (ooh-er, fancy). After an enjoyable hour exploring this small corner of the bay, we headed back on board and set off for our night time anchor spot. During this time, we were given a quick cooking lesson (and complimentary glass of local vino, score) on deck and got to prepare and make our own spring rolls, that were to be served later for tea. Once we were anchored in a secluded part of the bay you were allowed to jump off the boat and go swimming while the evening meal was being prepared. Sadly, I was a mahoooosive baby and couldn't bring myself to jump from the top deck. Instead I settled for the much less scary and safer lower deck, that was about 3 foot from the water. So brave, I know!
The evening on board the boat was very enjoyable, we had another amazing meal, then sat on the top deck chatting and star gazing for the rest of the evening. We were up early the next day for breakfast then set off again for a last tour of the bay before heading back to shore. Once we were back on solid ground everyone on the tour was taken to a restaurant in Ha Long centre for a final meal before heading back to Hanoi. It's fair to say that a trip to Ha Long Bay is an absolute must for anyone visiting Vietnam or South East Asia. Not only is it stunningly beautiful, the tours are also amazing value, at around £15 you get four meal, accommodation and all activities included! A truly beautiful bargain.
We sailed past the most awe-inspiring islands, topped with lush greenery and accompanied by sheer cliffs plunging into the sea. We then came across a floating village and moored up to enjoy some sea kayaking trough the beautifully calm, clear waters. You could even pay a small fee to kayak into a small cave, where a scene from James Bond was filmed (ooh-er, fancy). After an enjoyable hour exploring this small corner of the bay, we headed back on board and set off for our night time anchor spot. During this time, we were given a quick cooking lesson (and complimentary glass of local vino, score) on deck and got to prepare and make our own spring rolls, that were to be served later for tea. Once we were anchored in a secluded part of the bay you were allowed to jump off the boat and go swimming while the evening meal was being prepared. Sadly, I was a mahoooosive baby and couldn't bring myself to jump from the top deck. Instead I settled for the much less scary and safer lower deck, that was about 3 foot from the water. So brave, I know!
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