Being a world renowned UNESCO Heritage site and a must visit in many visitors' books, I thought to myself that I need to go down and see for myself what Ha Long Bay is all about. I did not want to look back and regret not visiting Ha Long. So I took the optimal and easy way out. I was staying at Hanoi Guest House on Ma May Street in the Old Quarter. They arranged a one-day tour, cost US $ 40, activities like canoeing extra. Ok, I said, and the amount was added to the room bill. Very convenient. Important to maximize credit card spends and minimize cash spends during travel.
Pickup at 8am, the ladies at the reception had told me. Drop back around 8pm. Sure enough, the tour guide showed up just after 8am, and led me to the mini bus parked nearby.
We picked up a few more passengers and then were on our way. It was a quiet 4-hour drive, with a rest stop of about 30 minutes at a large store that sold an amazing variety of handicrafts, marble and stone statues, clothes, bags, food and liquor. Also amazing that the driver never once drove rashly. The pier at Ha Long Bay turned out to be a massive structure, with dozens of hotels and resorts around the area. We were herded into a boat that had a dining area in the bottom deck and an open top deck.
Lunch was quite a lavish affair. Maybe 7 or 8 dishes, consisting of starters and main course spanning green leafy veggies, rolls, noodles, rice, salads, chicken, pork, prawns and fish. My table mates were from around the world - a group of friends from Thailand and a couple from Austria - curious to know why I was traveling solo.
Not many folks seem to appreciate the joys of solo travel. Up on the open air deck (it had a covered section), I got a neat view of what Ha Long Bay is all about. Massive cliffs rising straight out of the placid waters. Many ships were sailing in the bay, yet the views were very good, anyway.
Our boat docked at the point where we hop off and hop into either canoes (solo or for a group) or shared bamboo boats comfortable for about 4 passengers.
Our boat lady rowed the boat further inside bay in between the cliffs. Several boats and canoes were splashing around.
The stratified layers of the limestone cliffs are clearly visible, formed over millions of years.
Water level was low at this time of year, the boat lady informed us. A couple in a canoe were really struggling to maneuver their canoe. I wonder whether they made it back safely.
We were in the safe hands of an experienced rower, and it was a good time to relax, gazing at the cliffs, layers of sedimentary rock and the caves ahead. While riding inside, one needs to bend low at points to avoid getting a bruise on the head.
The Bay is a maze of cliffs, indeed, and at some points you are almost completely surrounded.
This is what a shared boat looks like.
After the 30-minute boat ride, we hopped aboard our large boat and headed to the next stop, to explore some of the cliffs in greater detail.
After getting off, we had to climb about 100 steps along the side of the cliff, to explore the insides.
When the opening into the caves inside the cliffs were discovered among the dense vegetation, it was all dark inside, of course. That was just over a century ago.
Now the insides are lit up, just enough for visitors to gingerly walk around.
Formations of stalactites (formed down from the ceiling), stalagmites (formed off the ground), and pillars (when stalactites and stalagmites join) are found all over the caves.
Nature has carved intricate designs over millions of years.
The harsh contrasts of light and dark spots come in the way of good photographs using a small point and shoot camera and a mobile phone.
Small streams are found inside the cave, forming small pools of water and tiny, gentle waterfalls.
This is what the exit looks like, from the outside. Hard to discover from within the vegetation.
A walk down the cliff takes us back to the boat and we are on the way to the main pier. The buildings of Ha Long town are visible, many are probably hotels and resorts.
The setting sun casts a golden glow on the cliffs, a grand sight, indeed.
As we cruise along the bay, how about an attempt at a selfie?
So, Ha Long Bay was a good sight, a little touristy, but well worth a visit. Four hours Ha Noi to Ha Long, four hours in Ha Long, and four hours back to Ha Noi. That was the break up of the hours from 8am to 8pm.
This series of my adventures in North Vietnam is pictured below.
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