Halong Bay

leaving The Army Hotel in the morning

We were up early Saturday morning at about 6.30 and had breakfast in the Army Hotel of fresh fruit, yoghurt, bread and jam, coffee with condensed milk, soo sweet.  Went walking again into the city with Mike and Angela, getting our bearings for the rest of the day as Mike and Angela had to go to the airport to meet up with the rest of our riding group.  Scott and I went into a massage place that had been recommended, was ok for me but for  Scott he was offered a happy ending which was not on his agenda.  I think we also got ripped off as we paid at the front desk what we thought was a reasonable price of $20US, but then they pumped us for more as they reckon they didn't get paid. Yeah right.  We gave them some NZ$ as had run out of American.  Well you live and learn.    After that we stuck to getting massages at the Hotels.    


women selling food

Met up later in the streets with  Robert, walking around the Old part of Hanoi and discovering that each street sold something different.  One street would sell ladies fashion clothing, another children's toys, another sold everything made out of tin, another sold haberdasery, streets of hat, cages of birds,  you name it there was a street selling it.  Then there were the streets selling food, fresh meat, ducks, vegetables, seafood, dried food.  Spent the whole of the day wondering around the streets, finding our way to a restaurant for lunch, back to a place where we could get drinks.  Then finding our way back to the Hotel for another swim.  Mike and Angela had arrived back with the rest of the crew and had taken them out walking in the streets.  We were to meet them back in the lobby at 6.30 when we would go by Taxi for dinner at the Highway 4  where the owner is a friend of Mike and Angela and has about 3-4 of the restaurants.  Had dishes of spring rolls, smoked pork, chicken with passion fruit sauce, beef.

woman selling fresh fruit

Car and scooter washers

Sunday 6 November


Halong Bay

Up early to have breakfast, meet in the lobby to catch the bus to Halong Bay.  Spending the night on a junk called Callypso.  Took about 3 hours in the bus to get to Halong Bay.  Seemed like a long trip, but was interesting along the way.











Were met by Trent who was to be our guide for the trip.  First was to get on a skiff to take us out to the Callypso.  There were hundreds of buses and taxis and people everywhere all catching junks to go out on Halong Bay.

 

 

 

Ha Long Bay has an area of around 1,553 km², including 1,960–2,000 islets, most of which are limestone. The core of the bay has an area of 334 km² with a high density of 775 islets. The limestone in this bay has gone through 500 million years of formation in different conditions and environments. The evolution of the karst in this bay has taken 20 million years under the impact of the tropical wet climate. The geo-diversity of the environment in the area has created biodiversity, including a tropical evergreen biosystem, oceanic and sea shore biosystem. Ha Long Bay is home to 14 endemic floral species and 60 endemic faunal species.^[

 

 

One group of the 100's and 100's of people waiting to get on skiffs to get out to their junk in Halong Bay.  At least they could see each other from a distance in the crowds of people.

 

 

 Were appointed rooms which were lovely ensuite rooms, beautifully decorated.  Then it was lunch served in the dining room, dish after dish of amazing foods were brought out.  In the afternoon we were taken to a cave where hundreds of other people were also going, had to queue to get into the cave.

 

 

The had this large board with photos on showing (I was going to say the  Eight Wonder of the World) but there are way more than that. No its a Unesco World Heritage Site.   But the photo saying Masurian lake District, well us from New  Zealand know only too well that this is not in Poland.  It is Mitre Peak out at Milford Sound in the ASouth Island of New Zealand.

 

 

 

 

 Borrowed this photo from the internet as mine wasn't too flash.

 

There they were selling their fresh fruit and vege and also soft drinks coke, fanta etc out in the middle of the Bay.

 

 Had a two hour happy hour aboard the Callypso where they serve fruit cocktails, beautiful fresh fruit cocktails,  then we had a demonstration in the art of making delicious spring rolls. Minced pork, egg, grated carrot, white onion, spring onion, all mixed together and put into spoonfuls onto rice paper and folded. Cooked in hot oil for about 15 mins and served with sauce made from fish oil, sugar water, garlic, and lime juice.

 

 

Then came an amazing dinner.  Every single dish was presented well how do you describe flowers made from carrots and arranged in a vase of shrimps, pineapple with spring rolls stuck to them.  And the flavours are just delicious.

In the evening Scott and Mike tried their hand at fishing for baby octopus.  You could see them swimming in the water.  There was heaps of patience but NO baby octopus to be had.  In the talk, about what was to happen the next day, we were to be up on deck at 6.0am for Tai Chi.  Well we all looked at each other, thought it was a joke.

Well the joke was on them, we were there at 6.00 and no Tai Chi instructor.  In the end Trent saw us up there and and went and woke up one of the crew.  Don't think he was too impressed, but we had our Tai Chi, so were set for the day.



After breakfast we were off to kayak into a cave or climb a mountain. We chose the kayking option. Which took us into this large open cave. Truly amazing with the rock walls dropping straight down into the sea.

 

 



floating Villages in Halong Bay

Many other boats out in the Bay

 

stunning sunset on our way back to Callypso

relaxing in the sun, and drinking cocktails

Then its was cruising back to Halong City on Callypso, and aboard the bus and back to Hanoi where we went to see the Water Puppet Theatre before heading to the train station to catch the over night train to Lao Cai where we would catch our first glimpse of the bikes.



Water puppet theatre in Hanoi (photos don't do it justice.

Going across the train tracks, around the back of another train, to find our train, in the pouring rain