Ha Long Bay! OF course no visit to Hanoi could ever be complete without a visit to this natural wonder, strewn with over 2000 limestone islands. A UNESCO world heritage site, a cruise in Ha Long Bay should be the highlight of any trip here. So I signed up for a 2-day, 1-night cruise in Ha Long Bay; hopefully it would prove to be more enjoyable than Hanoi itself.
The bus ride to Ha Long Bay took 3 hours; it was quite a bit farther than I thought it was. But no matter, I am a patient man and just looked at the passing scenery. Like Hanoi, a lot of it was sad and dreary, everything had a worn out look. That's what happens when you don't see the sun for over a week. Upon reaching Ha Long Bay, I and the other tourists boarded the ship; it was actually pretty good, rooms were clean and presentable and comfortable enough.
You could see a lot of other cruise ships and freighters in Ha Long Bay, all sailing around. There's a lot more activity in Ha Long Bay than I realized.
Regardless, the natural scenic limestone islands were all over, and made for some nice camera shots.
You could even find fishing boats around, looking for the catch of the day.
No sun here either. I wasn't about to let that stop me from taking pictures, though.
Closer look at the literally thousands of islands in Ha Long Bay.
Most of the people on the tour just chilled out on the observation deck. People came from all over; Germany, Holland, USA, Columbia, Australia, Britain, etc.
We stopped at one of the islands for some activities which the tour company had set up. There was a volleyball net, and some kayaks if you felt so inclined. Myself, I declined; it was super cold that day, and the thought of kayaking and getting wet did not appeal to me.
Still, I had a nice view from the beach.
Time for some exploring.
After the beach, the cruise continued on and stopped at another location, this time at a cultured pearl farm. They had nets all over, with oysters small and large.
This guy was inserting the pearl's "core" for each pearl, after which the oyster was left in the nets for up to 5 years.
Aha! A pearl!
Also on the tour was a visit to a cave on one of the islands.
Stalagmites and stalactites everywhere. There were lights set up so it was bright enough, you could see a lot of the details.
The light at the end of the tunnel.
Idiots scratching their names in the wall. It's NOT OKAY to do this at a World Heritage Site.
A 2-man fishing team in the middle of Ha Long Bay.
These guys were going really fast, like they were in a race somewhere.
Still no sun :( .
WE also had a cooking class aboard the ship. Everyone made spring rolls, always a popular favorite.
Another scenic shot.
Not sure exactly what this freighter was towing, but it had like 3 barges of the stuff.
Towards the end of the tour. I would have liked to have had a ride on the ferris wheel, but it wasn't open(still winter in Vietnam).
Last shot of the cruise ship.
Overall, not a bad trip. It wasn't perfect, no, but for what it was I liked it. Time to return to Hanoi for a night, then onward to my next adventure.