26/05/2023 From Hanoi to Halong Bay
Living on a boat – for two days
After arriving from the Ha Giang Loop back in Hanoi last night, we had a quick turnaround. This morning we got picked up by a bus that would drive us to Halong Bay, where we’d stay on a boat for the next two days.
Halong Bay
Hạ Long Bay or Halong Bay is a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site and popular travel destination […]. The name Hạ Long means “descending dragon”. […] The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and islets in various shapes and sizes.”
wikipedia.org
Different previous experiences
Blake and I had both seen the Halong Bay separately back in 2015. However, our experience was quite different as I only saw Halong Bay on a day trip, whereas Blake “experienced” it on a three-day-booze-cruise. So I am not too sure how much he actually experienced of it…
This time we were going to stay on the boat for one night. Our cabin had big windows and a little balcony which was perfect!
A kayak trip in Halong Bay
On the first day we went kayaking with the group of our boat. With our kayaks we also stopped at some caves, which we walked through and went into the water in a secluded bay on the other side.
High amounts of trash
Unfortunately, just like in the rest of Vietnam, there was so much garbage piled up on one side of this little bay. Vietnam has definitely been the number one country on our world trip that has the highest amount of garbage in nature. It is sad to see how the locals as well as the tourists are ruining the beautiful nature in such a great country! But that’s another story…
A cooking class on the boat
After kayaking we got welcomed back with fresh fruit. Shortly after we started a cooking class on the boat. Here we learnt how to make fresh Vietnamese spring rolls.
It was a fun idea, but it didn’t come close to the amazing cooking class we did in Hoi An.
Cocktails with a view
After dinner Blake and I had some cocktails with the other travellers while enjoying the incredible views of the Halong Bay all around us.
27/05/2023 From Halong Bay to Ninh Binh
Another early start
We woke up early again for our morning activity: hiking up a mountain in the Halong Bay. The term “mountain” sounds a bit too extreme – it was rather a hill.
Nevertheless, most of the other backpackers chose the second option of swimming and relaxing in the bay. I don’t blame them. In our 20s we probably would have chosen that option too. I guess culture, activities and exercise has become a higher priority for us in our 30s… 😉
The view from the hill overlooking the Halong Bay was incredible and so worth hiking up the few stairs!
We loved Halong Bay
We really enjoyed Halong Bay, living on a boat for two days and seeing all these gentle giants peaking out of the water everywhere around us.
Continue reading:
28+29/05/2023 Ninh Binh and Hanoi
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