Cruising in Halong Bay (or Guilin on the Sea if you're Chinese)

Ahoy there matey! My latest adventure was on a Chinese junk-style boat in Halong Bay, arguably some of the most beautiful coastal scenery this country has to offer. It can be a bit of a minefield finding a good tour operator, lots of horror stories from past travellers include crappy crowded boats, getting ripped off, having to pay extra for food, etc. but I went with a friend's recommendation and booked at the Kangaroo Cafe (one of the copies, but who cares) and it was a GREAT trip. Itinerary went something like this:

Day 1: Bus to Halong City, get on boat, make friends with fellow cruise-mates, (Lisa & Verena from DE, Hanneke & Gerhard from NL, plus many others) have delicious Vietnamese lunch while cruising into the bay between stunning limestone karsts shrouded in mist. Marvel at the scenery for a while, enjoy being on a boat, talk about how this reminds you of being in NZ on the water. Stop off at big cave full of tourists, kayak in the bay for a while, jump off the top of the boat and swim around in a deliciously cool but still warm ocean, cruise even further into the bay and anchor in a secluded cove, another delicious DIY spring roll Vietnamese dinner. Watch the sun set, finish with drinks & merrymaking. Go to bed in your luxury A/C cabin on board.





Day 2: Wake up for an early-morning swim, take some photos of the misty mountains and ocean, enjoy a cooked breakfast with delicious Vietnamese coffee. Go to Cat Ba island for a bike ride (average), get back on boat & sail to private beach with the other half of our group - there are now maybe 20 of us. Check into jungle-setting but still A/C bungalows, change into bikini, enjoy ANOTHER fabulous meal at our private resort overlooking the bay. Spend the afternoon lounging, swimming, reading, and drinking cocktails. Swap travel stories with new friends - Lisa & Verena had just come from China after taking the Trans-Siberian railway from Moscow. WOW! Watch as your tour guide paddles up in a kayak with a chilly bin and starts handing out drinks, calling himself the floating bar. Hilarity ensues! Have fabulous fresh seafood bbq dinner (prawns, crab, pork, french fries, beer), take closest friends down to the beach to start a campfire using pilfered building supplies from half-constructed bungalows (tee hee).






Day 3: Sail back to Halong city, say goodbye to the boat & new friends, bus back to Hanoi, get on the evening train to Sapa.

All in all, a fabulous trip to a gorgeous part of the country, totally unmissable! It was really nice to get out of the city for a few days, nice & quiet in the bay, just what I needed. Stay tuned, I will write about Sapa shortly!

Love
ML