8/10 & 11 -- Halong Bay

Warning: This 2-day post is pretty long and has lots of  photos.

We got an early start for our drive to Halong Bay, on Vietnam's Hwy 1. Unlike California's Hwy 1, this was pretty straight, but extremely bumpy. My fitness tracker credited me with over 19,000 steps by 5pm, which far exceeded any actual walking I did.

On the way, we made a pit stop at a HUGE store,  which sold everything you could imagine in a high end place. Jim was dedicated to getting me something special from Vietnam  and our guide told him star rubies were unique to this country and this store was a reasonable source, so of course I walked out with a new pendant. 

We transferred to our large overnight junk and got a cabin on the upper deck with an en suite bath. The A/C only runs at night to save generator fuel, but the it was cool enough if we sat  directly in front of a fan. After the chilly bus, the heat seemed worse. It was also more pleasant on the sun deck once the boat started sailing.

Getting our first photos on the tender: Ock (Oak), Margo, Helen, Ron

Our home for the next 2 nights. We were the first 2 windows
to the left of the top balcony

A working boat we encountered

 We had a 10 course lunch on board and then a couple hours to relax and ogle the limestone karsts this bay is so famous for.

This reminded me of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River

Another working boat with limestone karsts behind it.

More decorative junk than usual

Fishing boat

This famous rock is featured on the back of a 200.000 Dong bill
(worth about $10).

This shrine is dedicated to the Goddess of the
Sea. David didn't recognize her original Chinese
name, but did know her as Tien Hou, whose
temples we visit when giving Chinatown tours.

Our primary expedition was to a large 3 - chambered cave. I am not a cave fan, to put it mildly,  but decided to take a chance and was very pleasantly surprised that the cave was well lit and not claustrophobic at all. Maybe I am getting over my irrational attitude about caves! There were a lot of steps, though, and I could tell I have been on flat ground mostly because they were more of a challenge than anticipated.

The hole in the rock is the cave exit.

Cave with stalactites on the right

Jim in the second cavern

More great stalactites.

This looks like a dragon or crocodile on the ceiling.

View to the side from the exit hole.

Lynn & Jim at the exit

View from the exit hole in the rock

Fishing boat

Interesting design for a junk, with decorative sails.

One dinner course. The crew was very creative on food
presentation.

Back on the boat, the A/C started and we showered before dinner. Surprisingly,  we crashed early. While the room temperature was great for being awake, it was too chilly for sleeping well since we only had 2 sheets for covers. Once we turned the A/C down enough,  sleep was better. We are finally to the  point where we wake up at 6 am instead of 3 am, a welcome change.

Breakfast on board was more American-like than in the hotel: fried eggs, bacon, and toast. Once breakfast was over, we cruised to a floating fishing village and got a long sampan  ride for a closer look. We also stopped at a small museum in what used to be the community center. After a bad typhoon some years ago, the government decided that the floating life was too dangerous and encouraged people to move to the mainland.  The people  here now are the ones who resisted that effort. School is mandatory thru elementary and there is a school boat that comes during the school year.

We got hats and life jackets on the sampan: Jim models.

Our boat operator

Our compatriots in the other sampan

Floating homes--not quite as elaborate as those in Sausalito!

An enterprising young man figured out how to row with his feet.
A back rest enables his position.  He switches to hands for more
delicate tasks, like landing.

More floating homes

Another shrine to the Goddess of the Sea

There were floating stores all over, offering their
wares, including souvenirs!

When we got back on board,  we discovered the A/C had been turned on so we relaxed in comfort until lunch and for an hour after. Then it was time for kayaking.  Only Jim and I and one other brave soul, Margo, signed up. Somehow, we were given kayaks but no life jackets. We were in the open style of kayak which I thought was great at first because I had more flexibility to decide how much to bend my legs. I soon discovered that that advantage was seriously outweighed by the disadvantage of not having a backrest.

We were both getting achy when I realized that there was a lot of water in the boat. I tried bailing with this cute little cup thing I saw floating on a string, but it was too small to do any good. We paddled over to Margo and David to see if our water level was typical (not) and I showed him the little cup...it was a plug that was supposed to be stuck in the drain hole! He helped us bail and we made our way back to the dock, achy and wet.  At least this time we were able to go mostly straight, unlike our disastrous (and hilarious) attempt in Tahiti 10 years ago. We stood in the sun hoping to dry out while David and Margo finished their excursion.  Too bad we didn't think to bring any spare clothing. We only have exactly what we needed for 2 overnights and are hoping things dry in time to reuse later or at least so we can pack for the trek home tomorrow without getting everything else in the bag wet too.

On the way to our next stop, we sailed past a cultured pearl farm. They produce pearls in many colors, and the process seems to be like what we saw in Tahiti. After an hour to recover and dry off, we reached Titop Beach, a man-made beach with steps up to the top of the karst for a spectacular view. David said it was a 10 minute walk to the top, and since we go up so many steps all the time at home, I wasn't too worried.  Turns out it was 414 steps, some very tall. I made it, but was exhausted when I got there. Jim, of course, powered up, only slowing to make sure I was ok. We took pictures, went back down and onto the boat. The only downside was that everything dry we had put on after kayaking was now wet from our exertion. Luckily,  I had a dress to change into after a shower, but Jim had to choose between the drenched shorts that had been drying for 2 hours or the long pants made damp by the hike.

View from the top

After dinner, we got a demonstration of how to make some of the fancy veggies we had been served: a net made of carrot, a carrot flower, and a tomato swan. Of the three, the net is the only one I might try, the other two were way more involved.

Tomorrow we head back to Hanoi and prepare for our trip to Java.