Today’s Chronicles can be found here.
Some destinations come easily, others not so much. My wife and I had planned to visit Hanoi and Ha Long Bay during our round-the-world honeymoon in 2010 but opted instead to extend our trip to Hoi An. I’m very glad that we did, but we still view Ha Long Bay as the “one that got away.”
Well, here we are:
It is – I must admit – more touristy than I had expected, though I am judging my opinion purely on vibes and on absolutely zero research.
And it does look more promising when one glances in the opposite direction:
We relied solely on Silversea for today’s excursion, and the sole extent of our planning was to decide to cancel the 7-hour-long kayaking trip due to its length.
Instead we will be doing a 3 to 4 hour-long junk boat cruise that will also take us to Thien Cung cave.
Correction – I have done some research, so I already know that your average Vietnam junk boat looks less like this:
Source: Wikipedia
And more like this:
So we are somewhat prepared, after all – except when it comes to our shore cards.
After a tense moment back in Chan May when it appeared that a Vietnamese border officer might not let us ashore without our nonexistant shore cards, we procured some cards from Reception to use during today’s disembarkation. Except today the border officer is more interested in playing CandyCrush than he is checking our shore cards – which would be fine, except we might need to have those signed before we can leave Vietnam.
The Hotel Director gently informs us that the guard is doing “spot checks only”, which seems a polite way to “stop standing over the border guard’s desk before you invite trouble into your lives” so we opt to carry on with the tour and raise the question of the shore cards with Reception after we return.
Down the gangway we go and – despite being almost 30 minutes early – we soon shuffle onto an electric golf cart that will take us to our waiting junk boat. The electric cart ride takes perhaps five minutes, and then we are being helped aboard an upscale version of a mildly junky junk boat:
Imagine this but with marble floor and industrial bathroom fixtures – I’m not kidding
I must sound critical, but we are actually genuinely happy with the way this has gone – we had expected a truly junky junk boat, and we had expected to share it with roughly 100 other tourists. Instead, there are a mere 26 Silversea passengers aboard this one boat.
We’re given a safety briefing, and our guide goes over the stops for today’s tour. We’ll be driving roughly 40 minutes out to reach the cave, stopping for an hour at the cave, then touring Ha Long Bay for roughly an hour before returning to the harbour. He specifically points out the areas that we won’t be able to reach because they’re too far away – something for us to keep in mind for the next time we visit.
We then have the chance to head up to the top deck and snap a few photos as we leave the harbour:
There’s plenty of standing room up here, though not enough room for everyone to sit up on the top deck – though there are chairs to spare down below.
As we head toward the limestone formations of Ha Long Bay at a brisk clip, it’s clear we’re not the only ship on the water:
But Ha Long bay is massive, so I expect we’ll find some privacy before the cruise is done.
Some background on Ha Long Bay from Silversea:
“The name Ha Long Bay, meaning ‘where the dragon descends into the sea,’ has its origin in an ancient legend according to which a huge dragon appeared, aiding the local people in their fight against northern invaders. After victory was achieved, the dragon and its young remained, turning into a fence of rocky islets as protection from further invasion. Even today, sailors and locals still claim sightings of a giant sea monster.
“Ha Long Bay’s famed seascape offers fantastic images of fragmented limestone outcroppings, sheer cliffs, huge rock arches and tranquil coves. Some of the rock formations rise from the sea up to a height of 900 feet (274 metres), projecting strange images.”
Those formations soon start to come into view:
And before we know it, we’re mooring up at Thien Cung cave:
It’s exactly 100 steps up to the cave. Not everyone is able or eager to make the trip – four guests remain on board.
The intrepid 22 pause midway to admire the view:
And then carry up the rest of the way. Our guide presents our tickets, and we’re free to either explore on our own or to stay close and listen in. We do a little of each.
The caves are massive – a shorter path than the Ngili caves we visited in Busselton, but even more cavernous:
There are also occasional openings in the walls, letting in vegetation and natural light:
Plus traces of vegetation within the caves themselves:
The running water is pumped in – we’re not exactly sure why. Normally you’d want to minimize the amount of water so as to better preserve the cave formations. It is pretty, though.
As are the intricate, layered formations:
The cave was discovered in 1993 by fishermen seeking shelter from a storm, and was opened to the public in 1998. It was the first cave in Ha Long Bay to be renovated to make it easier for people to access.
And they have done an excellent job of that – the paths are smooth and level, and the steps wide and well-constructed.
As with all good caves, there’s even a spot of lore attached to them:
According to local legend, the cave was once home to the Dragon King. The local people sought his help in making it rain after a prolonged drought. A young couple sought to persuade the Dragon King to help. After returning from their trip, the wife gave birth to a daughter.
When the daughter came of age, the Dragon King sought to make her his bride – and they had a lavish wedding that lasted 7 days and 7 nights. Images from their wedding are etched into the cave structures.
We emerge from the cave into a large and bustling series of market stalls that sell everything from iced coffees to Lego sets. However, we’re more concerned with trying to find our junk boat amidst a sea of other junk boats:
Anyone remember where we parked?
The cliff formations are equally striking when seen from the outside:
We’re on the verge of returning to our ship – or someone’s ship, at least – when we spot a side trail marked ‘Grotto’. We still have almost 30 minutes until we’re due to depart, so we elect to attempt a speed run. And we’re glad we did:
It’s immensely hot inside – and chock-a-block with bats – but the cave structure is equally striking.
We continue to dash around the perimeter of the cave – and I do mean dash:
Eventually emerging into sunlight once more.
Time for a last minute dash back to the boat:
But which boat?
Capturing the scenery as we go:
And – we make it! With 10 minutes to spare, I might add, though we are among the last to rejoin the ship. The other gentleman who came along the ride remarks dryly, “I’m not sure we were supposed to go into that grotto.” Quite correct – but better to seek forgiveness than ask permission.
With all aboard, the junk then departs to cruise through Ha Long Bay:
The majority of ships are tourist boats, but there are also local fishermen plying their trade:
The bay is substantially cleaner than a decade earlier – due in large part to Vietnamese government efforts. There are now 40 boats that scour the waters, looking for garbage. Perhaps we were better to delay our visit after all…
Our guide tells us that October is the best time to visit, as that’s when the waters are calmest and you are most likely to get a mirror-like reflective surface. But we have no complaints with the early-March conditions.
One recent change to the formations in Ha Long Bay – Typhoon Yagi stripped away much of the vegetation along the karsts, and the wildlife habitat along with it.
It’s a sad reminder that there are never any guarantees with a natural wonder like this – all we can do is visit when and if we can.
We continue to weave our way through the limestone karsts:
And approach a floating market – also taken offline by Typhoon Yagi:
Efforts are underway to restore it. One day, perhaps.
It’s not long before we depart the limestone maze:
And enter a raging battle of bumper boats:
No, that is not our ship. Yes, that is the ship that is running into our ship.
I should go back a step – we are currently trying to look at the ‘kissing chicken rocks’, which are apparently the latest Instagram trend. I’m not sure why. They look like rocks – except smaller and less impressive than virtually every other set of rocks in Ha Long Bay.
But they also cause the junk boats to do this:
And this:
…As they jockey for position. I guess now we know why the boats have tires permanently affixed to their sides.
I’d like to pretend I’m above all of this hustle and bustle – but I still dutifully take my picture when the rocks properly come into view:
Not pictured – the three million tourists trying to get exactly the same shot, albeit with couples kissing in front of the rocks
It’s then time to return to the harbour, arriving roughly three and a half hours after we first set out.
We have the option at this point of either returning to the ship via the electic golf carts or heading into town to visit the wet market or one of the many cafes and restaurants in the area. We elect to head back. Unsurprisingly, the kids just aren’t huge fans of open-air seafood markets – or the smells therein.
Back to the ship – where we have a remarkably sedate afternoon. Kaiseki is kind enough to send up a plate of watermelon to complement our daughter’s lunch:
We do some reading / writing / homework, before moving onto bingo. Here the kids absolutely clean up, winning no fewer than three rounds during today’s session. I stop counting after 25 prize points.
On to trivia. We correctly recall the author of Moby Dick (Herman Melville) and the countries in which pink river dolphins can be found (Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, French Guyana and Bolivia) but learn that the lyrics “I feel so unsure / As I take your hand and lead you to the dance floor” are from Careless Whisper by George Michael. Our performance is good enough for second place!
Off to the balcony to watch as dusk falls, and to admire the less-than-junky ships passing by:
Then off to SALT Kitchen for dinner. Tonight’s menu:
My wife and I both start with the wonton soup:
My wife has the egg noodles for her main:
While I have the honey glazed pork:
And for dessert, an egg tart:
Delicious – big thanks to SALT Kitchen for being willing to sub in filet mignon for the usual ribeye steaks, which the kids tend to find both too large and too fatty.
We even manage to make it out to SALT Bar afterward, where Carlos fixes a mixture of gin, aperol, and ginger known as a ‘Maverick’ for my wife:
She’ll be ordering that again.
Off to sleep – sea day tomorrow, which should finally give us the chance to catch up on blog posts!