Cruising Halong Bay aboard the Black Pearl Junk
Trip Start
Jul 13, 2009
1
42
83
Trip End
Jul 20, 2010
Halong Bay, Vietnam
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Mike and I booked a 3 day two night tour with a local company in Hanoi. "You will like, or I pay you back"... that alone sounded suspicious. We knew that we got a good price for what was known as a 3 star quality trip. After listening to people talk about their price we noticed that the same trip could have a range of $100 US depending on how skillful of a negotiator you are .Off we went first by bus from Hanoi to Halong City. Next passport control in Halong City...what??? We gave our passports to the Indian Embassy back in Hanoi. Luckily we had our copies to show. When the boat set "sail"..( I quoted sail because ours didn't have any typical Dragon Sail), Mike was a little disappointed. He would have been happy with a one star boat with sails. I on the other hand loved our cabin, bed, and balcony. The food was tastey and so much of it. Fish with a lemongrass-soy sauce, calamari, Pho (yummy local soup) with a flavor that we are trying to decipher so that we can copy it at home. The weather on the way through the islands was cloudy, but it brought a mystic feeling to our trip. When we arrived a floating fishing village, we were given sea kayaks and paddled around the bay of isles. Next a trip on foot through a massive cave that was used as a hiding place during the wars. Off sail again to Cat Ba Island where we were then dropped off by one guide and never picked up by another. We managed to find our way with another tour group to the national park and hiked through wet jungle to a view point. Taking matters into our own hands we explored the rest of the island's beaches, spent the night at a hotel on the island, and watched the clouds clear making room for a beautiful sunset. Next morning, boat back with a sunny day!
