Dragons in the sea

Feb 2/07

The tour bus picked us up at 8:00 (4 others from the tour were going on the same trip to Halong Bay). We arrived at the tour boat pier at 11:30. There, we were sorted, and re-sorted according to length of trip, and who knows what other categories. We were finally led down to the boats. They were docked 3-4 deep along the pier, the farthest ones out pushing the whole flotilla to keep them close to the dock. We climbed onto the first boat, walked along it, over the side, up to the 2nd deck, around the other side, over the rail, down a deck, along the walkway and finally over to the final boat. This was it...I think. We all climbed up to the top deck to watch our departure from the shore, but were immediately herded down to the dining room. Nope, not for lunch, just to wait. We got bored of that, and moved back up to the top deck, with the better view (and less diesel fumes).

About 1 hour out of harbour, we finally saw the islands we were heading for. Huge rocks sticking up out of the ocean, like they'd been dropped from the sky. The name Halong Bay means "Bay of Descending Dragons" and comes from local legends. "Long ago when the Vietnamese were fighting Chinese invaders, the gods sent a family of dragons to help defend the land. This family of dragons descended upon what is now Ha Long Bay (hence the name "Bay of Descending Dragons") and began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets dotting the bay, linking together to form barriers against the invaders. The people kept their land safe and formed what later became the country of Vietnam." (Wikipedia entry).

We stopped within sight of the islands for lunch of seafood, fish and fries. For some odd reason, the Vietnamese are convinced we Westerners NEED to eat fries. So, every buffet type meal is served with fries (and not good ones either.) After lunch we sailed through the islands, weaving around their bases, and staring up at the towering tops. They're similar in look to the Flower Pots at the Bay of Fundy, but the tide doesn't cover them up, in fact it barely even rises at all.

We visited the "Surprising Caves" in the afternoon, full of stalagmites and stalactites. The walls are textured with pipes, pockmarks and holes. The most interesting features are lit with coloured lights. The trail through the caves is lined with cobblestones, and carefully marks the route. As beautiful as it is, it's hard to imagine being the first to see the amazing views, as there are thousands who pass through every week.

Back on the boat (with icecream), we moved on through the rocks, meandering back and forth for an hour or two. We were assigned our rooms and the couples got their keys first, finally, there was only one key left one the table, and a guy and myself left. The guide looked at us. Ok, I introduced myself and picked up our key. At least it had 2 twin beds...

Late in the afternoon, we stopped at a floating village to go kayaking. My roommate and I shared a kayak. Again, there was no instrucions, no guide, no lifejackets. We climbed in and figured it out for ourselves. They were sea kayaks, so they were pretty stable, and the view of the rocks from the water was great. We paddled around for about 45 mins, then headed back to the boat. Nobody got wet.

Finally we headed out to Cat Ba Island, where some of the people would be spending the night in a hotel. There, we unloaded some people, and took some others on board. As the sorting occured, we watched the sunset over the tops of the rocks.

Dinner was the same delicious seafood, and more fries. After dinner, we sat on the top deck, watching the full moon rise overhead, and the stars come out. Finally, around 10:30, the engins turned off, and all was silent. And dark. We realised that the generator was also going off, and there were no lights, so we headed to bed.