After
the frantic traffic and the deafening noise of Hanoi, Ha Long Bay was a breath
of fresh air. We are not usually ones for luxury cruises or group tours but
this was the only viable option to take in Vietnam’s number one attraction, so
we bit the bullet and took the plunge.
The
package deals include transfers to and from Hanoi in a vehicle and the first
views of the bay from Ha Long City did make us wonder if this was a terrible
mistake. I have never seen quite so many boats crowed together in such a small
stretch of water and so many people doing the bus to boat or boat to bus swap.
A dozen passengers literally jumped into our seats on the bus and drove off
before we had even made it inside the terminal building. But that was the only fleeting moment of
regret I felt.
Within
a few minutes our contingent of 8 new arrivals had been whisked through the
portside chaos and onto a smaller boat to transfer us to our chosen vessel.
Once on board the boat we were allocated cabins and served lunch as the captain
steered us out into the bay and the number of other cruises boats visible
immediately decreased. By evening we were anchored in some secluded bay with only a single other vessel in sight.
There
was a range of activities organized to amuse and entertain but the lure was the
bay itself and that was entertainment enough. The breathtaking limestone karst
formations looming out of the mist and fog were captivating. The overcast
conditions added a layer of mystery and a magical quality to the whole scene
and over the next 2 days we never lost interest in simply enjoying the views. I was particularly enthralled by the faint outline of ever more "islands" disappearing into the horizon like some scene from a fantasy. The rain and storms we feared were going to spoil the whole experience gradually
dissipated and it actually got warm enough to enjoy swimming in the tepid
waters while not being too hot or sunny to paddle lazily about in a kayak
without getting burnt, feeling that we had the entire environment to ourselves.
Our
only complaint would be the over pampering and over feeding! We now need to
find some more rigorous exercise to compensate.
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