Day 21/22 - Halong Bay

Up at 7 and on a bus by 8 to Halong Bay to see incredible mounds of rock jutting out from the ocean - 1961 in the to be exact. Halong Bay has 1961 islets spread out around an 1,500 sq.km. Considered by the Vietnamese to be one of the seven wonders of the world!           ^{We booked one of many cruise ships called junks for our two day/one night excursion. The port was full of boats and tourists but somehow our guide found out shuttle boat which in turn found our junk anchored away from shore. Our junk, called the Royal Heritage Cruise, just big enough for 12 people. We had a French couple on board to start and picked up two Polish couples along the way.}

After a seafood lunch we were dropped off at a giant cave consisting of three massive chambers full of stelmites and stalagmites. The cave was a nice reprieve from the intense heat outside (the temperature was around 34 C but the humidity was unbearable). Once back on the junk , we took kayaks out the paddled to a nearby beach to ‘cool’ off in the water. Back on board we relaxed on the top deck until dinner time. Another delicious meal with more seafood. After dinner we watched the sun set before heading to the karaoke screen for some really bad attempts at singing. Although mostly North American songs, the Polish couples knew the words much better than we did!

P.S. Apparently this is the site of James Bond’s Tomorrow Never Ends

 

Typical junk

 

After a seafood lunch this is what we saw...

 

Looks like someone sitting on the edge

 

 

 

 

 

After breakfast we went to see the floating fishing village complete with it’s own school. These people spend the majority of their lives living on the water with no health care and few necessities. We took a ride in a fisherman’s bamboo boat into more caves. More food once back on board while cruising back to the port just ahead of the incoming rain

 

A very tough life - the fisher families rarely leave the water.

Floating school!



 

 

3.5 hours back to Hanoi, a quick shower before we were shuttled onto a train headed for Hoi An (yes same jumbled letters from ‘Hanoi’!