Ha Long Bay

We returned from our 4 day trip a little tired and in need of a proper bed. So after a night's stay back in Hanoi, we were off again; this time for a more sedate tour - Ha Long Bay.


Ha Long City is about a 4 hour drive east of Ha Noi and we arrived just after noon. We took a small boat taxi to our home for the next few days; a traditional junk boat. 
The boat held about 20 people, so a nice number. We had booked on board for a 3 day / 2 night cruise. This was to maximise the time on the boat, as had heard that with the 1 night stays, you hardly spent any time at all on the boat.

Once on board we got shown to our cabin, a cosy little room, with all the things you need. Lunch was served and then we set sail for to start cruising round the islands. The afternoon was nice and relaxing. We went kayaking round a local fishing village and caves - all very impressive.

Local School 

The local fishing village was a whole community that lived and worked out in the rocky outcrops. There was everything you need, shops, petrol station and school.


We then sailed a short distanced and moored up for the night. We knew that it would be busy on the seas, but there were a lot of other boats. No so many that you felt crowded, just noticeable that there were a lot of other people also doing the same thing. 


Day 2 we were up early for breakfast and out on to a separate day boat for our tour. It was all nice and comfortable, with a sun deck and nothing much to do but sunbathe and enjoy the view. The first stop was a jump off the boat and swim to a local stretch of beach. 

We then cruised round to a bay where we had the chance to do some more kayaking around the rocks. This was better than the day before as we could explore the caves and tunnels that lead you through to areas where the main boats could not go. 


Lunch on board the boat, followed by another good helping of sunbathing (although my tan is still lacking in any real change from white...)

The last stop of the day was to one of the islands, where you could climb to the top and admire the view. This was great as it gave you the chance to see the various islands from a better vantage point. 


After this we went back to sea level and enjoyed a beer whilst watching the sun set. 

Halong Bay was a nice trip away, but sadly we both felt that the place had been overpopulated by tourism, which did spoil some of the trip. However it was a nice relaxing time away and we were both pleased to be sleeping back in a normal bed and not on the floor of a stilt house !