Hanoi - Sapa - Lao Cai - Halong Bay - Hue - Hoi An - Da Nang
河内 - 沙坝 / 萨帕 - 老街 - 下龙湾 - 顺化 - 会安 - 岘港
18 October 2012 (Day Five - Halong Bay)
At around 8am, we were ready for check-out and went down to take our hotel breakfast: omelette, noodle soup, coffee, mango and orange juices. The coffee was nice, so we asked the hotel staff to help us buy the same coffee powder. One pack consists of 5 small packets and costs VND42,000, much cheaper than the weasel coffee we bought the night before. While waiting for Mr. Hyng, we exchanged some Vietnam Dong at the hotel reception with a rate of USD1 to VND20,800.
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| Scenic drive on the way to Halong Bay |
Mr. Hyng arrived around 8.15am and we departed for Halong Bay, which was approximately three hours away. Our driver took Highway No.1, which crosses the Red River Delta in Hanoi vicinity famous for its rice fields. According to Mr. Hyng, there is another highway crossing the mountainous region from North to South, which was once used during the Vietnam-US War. On the way, we passed by the Bac Ninh Industrial Park and its nearby coal power plants. That explains the dirty roads and the many coal lorries passing by. En route we had a short stop at the Sao Do arts and Crafts Centre in Hai Duong runs by Dai Viet Co Joint Stock Company. They mainly sell souvenirs including silk paintings, clothes, handicrafts, sculptures and local produces. We bought a silk scarf (USD23), a dripping coffee cup and green tea leaves (VND145,000).
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| Luxury private cabin big enough for 3 |
At approximately noon time, we finally arrived at Halong Bay Tourist Wharf. We could see the Halong City from a distance away. It was crowded with tourists like us, as everyone was waiting for the boat transfers to the cruise ships/junks. Each cruise has its own arrangement. We've booked the Emotion Deluxe Cruise: Cruise in Luxury, Journey of Inspiration?! The boat finally came and there were only 2 groups of us taking the same cruise. After a short boat ride, we reached the junk and were served with welcoming cocktails before checking-in to our private cabins. The junk was magnificent, well-maintained and totally out of our expectations.
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| Junk cruising towards Halong Bay |
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| Surprise Cave with colourful LEDs |
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| Limestone cave formations |
We started our junk cruise with a delicious seafood lunch. We had mussels, prawns and squids while enjoying the scenic views cruising towards Halong Bay. We could see some pearl farms at a distance away. After lunch, we had the chance to explore some of the limestone caves dotted around the bay. Named as Surprise Cave, probably because of the various coloured LEDs around the chambers. We visited 3 chambers and were disappointed to see the damaged and discoloured cave walls due to human touch. As with all other limestone caves, the locals associated the stalactites and stalagmites formations to assembling objects like monkey, turtle with money, finger, heart shape, merlion and even Uncle Ho Chi Minh.
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| Panoramic view on top of Titov Island |
We left the cave at around 4pm and back to the junk to pickup another group of tourists. Then, we departed for Titov Island. There is a beach secluded for swimming and sun bathing (quite crowded with tourists) and also a stairs to reach the top of the island where we could enjoy a panoramic view of Halong Bay. The view with Halong Bay's gorgeous islands and rock formations coupled with the many junks and cruise ships was fantastic. We had the chance to walk around the beach and enjoy the beautiful sunset before dinner. It was still early when we got back to the junk, so we went up to the sundeck to relax while the junk was cruising towards Ho Dong Tien area for overnight.
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| Sunset at Halong Bay |
Our dinner was another seafood feast in buffet style with BBQ fish, squids and prawns. There was a surprise birthday celebration onboard. After dinner, we went up to the sundeck again for the night view. It was dark so we could only see the lights from other junks. For the night owls, there is an option of night fishing. We tried squid fishing with bamboo stick by pulling the stick up and down but failed to catch any. It was an interesting experience though, to fish without bait.
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