Sapa/Hanoi/Halong Bay….then Bai Tu Long Bay Cruise > Day 1

November 22nd

Early breakfast and an early departure as the “limo” is scheduled to arrive at 07:30 and so it does. We say our goodbyes to the staff and the head receptionist gives us each a hug, thanking us for staying at the hotel and reminding us to give them a positive Tripadvisor report. It is about a 5.5-hour journey from Sapa to Hanoi with 2 pit stops en route.

An uneventful journey and we are back at “our” hotel by 13:30. Check-in, sort ourselves out and catch a “GRAB”  to visit the Temple of Literature about a 15-minute ride and 42m Dong (super clean car + polite driver). The temple is nice and it is pleasant to walk around in relative peace and quiet…

On the way back to the hotel we take a quick peek at Train Street in the Old Quarter where locomotives rumble down an active track just inches away from homes and other buildings. Many cafes have sprung up to service tourists who come to gawk at this spectacle > the government is in the process of trying to shut this down for safety reasons… 

…after a short siesta, we grab dinner on the street; a couple of banh mi’s and some brews polished off with sticks of mini donuts. Then head back to the hotel to reorganize our gear for the next step of the journey.

 

November 23rd

Another early morning departure as our van arrives at 07:45 and we head out for the 3.5 hour drive. On the way, we stopped at Yen Duc Village to see a water puppet show and have lunch. The puppet show was a rather modest affair…..

….but lunch was quite good. Then onward to Halang Bay, aka Bay of the Descending Dragon, where we embarked on the Dragon Pearl, part of the Indochina Junk fleet, for our 2-night cruise of Bai Tu Long Bay. After considerable research, we chose this one over cruises on Halang Bay as Halang has become grossly over touristed, with all the attendant cons. Bai Tu is adjacent to Halang Bay but much less visited due to stricter licensing laws and greater distance, hence the cost to travellers…….we shall see if this was a clever decision.

Situated 102 miles (164 km) southeast of Hanoi, the 580-square-mile (1,500-square-km) area contains some 3,000 rocky and earthen islands, typically in the form of jagged limestone formations (karsts) jutting out from the sea, a number caves and grottoes, all of which blend to produce an exotic and picturesque seascape. A diverse population of marine and land mammals, reptiles, fish, and birds are found in the waters and tropical forests.

We arrive on schedule at Hon Gai International Harbor where we are processed and meet the rest of our fellow passengers. There are 16 in total and the ship’s capacity is 20 guests so a little more room to spread out. It is an international group: composed of Portuguese, British, Austrians, and Germans.

Our cabin on the main deck, while small, is quite pleasant with its own ensuite…Moosie was also quite taken with the digs…

A nice welcome drink and our guide for the cruise Kenny G provides an overview of the cruise and the first day’s program as we set off. We soon enjoyed a cooking demonstrating the preparation and cooking of deep-fried spring rolls… followed by an excellent lunch…

The Dragon Pearl cruises for about 2 hours passing some stunning scenery …

….before mooring for the night at Cong Do where our tender delivers kayaks to the boat and we head off for some kayaking around Cap La and Tra San..

 

…the kayaks are a tad tippy, and, as luck would have it, one of the kayaks rolls over…..

…..eventually, the two paddlers are “rescued” by the Coast Guard, as our guide was unable to tow them and their waterlogged kayak back to the junk…..no drama, the water was warm, and their cell phones eventually returned to life after being “riced”. After several Mai Tai’s they were laughing about their adventures! Some relaxation time watching the hawks circling above us…

…as night falls over our anchorage…

….then a very good dinner under the stars, nice presentation with some 6 excellent dishes provided on an all-you-can-eat basis. More drinks after dinner and some interesting conversations with this international and in many cases well well-travelled group. A great start to the cruise !!!. Can’t wait for Day 2…