Today we said "adieu" to Hanoi and headed east to Halong Bay. Although it is only about 150 kilometers from Hanoi, it is 4 hour bus trip, over two lane roads through farmland, towns and villages. As with most OAT trips, the journey is almost as interesting as the destination. Our first rest stop was at the Humanity Center. In addition to the rest facilities, it is a shopping mart that sells a huge variety of items made by local people. Everything from large stone sculptures, to lacquerware, to fine jewelry and custom tailoring, ready in three hours is available. The 30 minutes we had there wasn't enough time, but there was the promise of another stop on the return trip.
A little farther along the road, there were a number of farmers, transplanting young rice plants
. In another learning and discovery event we had an opportunity to wade into the fields and help them. Both Charlie's and Pam volunteered to help and were soon knee deep in the rice paddy. I'm not sure how much they helped, but the local farmers were tolerant of their efforts and they attracted several other bus loads of tourists who seemed more amused by the crazy Americans than interested in the actual work in the field. Another stop was to look at a local vegetable garden. In addition to rice, there are fields of beautiful butter lettuce, radishes, mint, cilantro, and other herbs that are sold to middlemen and then resold at markets in Hanoi.
Finally just after noon we arrived at Ha Long City, our port for cruising on Halong Bay. In Vietnamese, the name means Descending Dragon, and is based on a legend about the gods sending a family of dragons to assist the early Vietnamese in defeating their enemies. The bay contains over 3000 limestone karsts and islets and has been named by UNESCO as one of the 7 modern wonders of the world
. The limestone formations include some very interesting shapes, that have been given imaginative names. There are also some wet and dry caves and 4 floating fishing villages that contribute to the scenery.
Our junk was very large and comfortable. On the lower level there were a series of cabins, each with two bunks and an ensuite bathroom. Upstairs was a combination bar and dining room, with a small open deck. There was an open deck on the top level, but it didn't get much use because of the clouds and cool weather. There was just time to get settled into our cabins when it was time for lunch. It was another wonderful, multicourse meal prepared in a tiny galley. After lunch we continued traveling through the amazing formations. Sometimes it was almost foggy and reminded me of the the trip through gorges in China, at other times there was a bit of sun and it was much more colorful. Later in the afternoon there was an opportunity to explore one of the large caves. Back on the boat it was time for wine and conversation and another delicious meal, before making it an early night, because tomorrow is a 5 am wake up, and a 6 am landing in order to get back to Hanoi for our 11 am flight to Hue.
Cruising Along on Halong Bay
Friday, February 15, 2013
Halong Bay, Vietnam
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