23.03 Day 68 Hanoi to Bai Tu Long Bay
Saturday 23rd March - Hanoi - Bai Tu Long Bay (Halong Bay) (Day 68)
An early start because today we’re off to Halong Bay. Well almost, we’re going to its neighbour Bai Tu Long Bay (BTLB) for a three day two night cruise. Kate is excited, the kids are unfazed (as they are at the start of most days) and I’m flipping and flopping between excitement and apprehension. Too much research for my own good - I’ve read enough stories of agencies taking bookings and cash for boats that don’t exist, boat changes because the booked boat is overbooked - and that’s before you get on board.
Promising signs though when our minibus turns up earlier than the prescribed 8:20-8:30, an IndoChina branded van containing just seven comfy seats. We make our way slowly out of Hanoi congestion before heading east on the motorway - past the dirty, industrial Hai Phong, just along from BTLB - this famed nature site sitting alongside the practicality of container ship ports.
Everything is in order in the IndoChina waiting building - my shoulders dropping a little more - before the 37 passengers of Dragon Legend 1 hop on electric golf buggies to be taken to the awaiting tenders lined up at a pontoon. More relief (approaching smugness?) on sighting and boarding our boat, having gone past other boats I’d weighed up.
Lower deck there’s two decks of cabins (24 in all) then an indoor and outdoor seating dining area, with a further half deck above the indoor seating all topped off with three ceremonial masts (based on the amount of fabric tied up where the drop down sails should be).
After an introduction from Mr Smiley, the tour manager and Mr Milkyman, the cruise manager - thankfully no racists undertones; he just likes milk, we are reunited with our luggage in our room, which is very luxurious with large windows overlooking the water. The kids have a connecting room, albeit a ‘single’ room with a queen bed and ensuite and not much more, but everyone is happy they have their own room.
The limestone karsts emerging out of the sea for which this area is famous are visible from the shore and so the moment the boat sets off we’re amongst them. We’re straight into our first onboard meal in the dining room and are given a menu with 2 appetisers, 5 mains + dessert. Except we don’t choose we get all of them - it’s a delicious seafood based feast. There is a lot of food anyway, compounded by the kids eating some, skipping some.
There’s one other child on the boat - Charlie from Sacramento, California - and both he and Sienna and Seb are each also given a plate of chips; the cruise team obviously aware that squid and prawn hotpot or seabass may not be up the kids alley.
There was a flotilla of cruise boats leaving at the same time as us, on a mixture of 2 day / 1 night and, like us, 3 day / 2 night - but perhaps more importantly most were headed to Halong Bay whilst we headed to BTLB an area much less populated with these boats (of which there are 500 for the whole area), so very quickly there’s only occasional glimpse of other boats between the karsts - one of the reasons I’d picked this bay.
An hour after lunch - which Seb and Charlie especially spent prancing around the upper deck whilst Sienna and I played cards with Charlie’s parents Kim and Roman (Kate busily catching up on typing up the blog) we drop anchor and all disembark onto the tender to be taken the last 400 metres to a floating fishing Village. All the tours offered these kind of activities / tourist traps, and I’d been uncertain about it, but actually the bulk of the time was spent being rowed through a very protected part of the bay where floating houses are sat next to fishing nets where fish are bred and grown. The peacefulness of it and the incredible rock formations make it a very relaxing 45 minutes.
Just when it seemed the kids enthusiasm waned a small dog was spotted on one of the rowing boats - evidently the owner of the dog and boat had swung past her floating house to pick up her canine companion. When Mr Smiley spots Sienna and Seb pointing at the dog he shouts out to the boatman, and the little dog carefully jumps from its boat to another and then onto ours. The kids are very excited to pat the dog - the advice iterated and reiterated in the safety of Sydney of not touching dogs long gone. Passing by a large cave / tunnel we quietly make our way back to the starting pontoon.
There is a brief stop in a pearl shop - I overhear the sales assistant say to one person “it’s $25,000 US$, but it’s ok you can use credit card” - before catching the tender back to Dragon Legend.
Seb is the first and only person in the 3m x 3m pool which is more of an oversized cold bath, splashing around doing somersaults. The ship is large enough that most of the time you only ever see 3 or 4 guests - which means we’re only disturbing 3 or 4 people at a time as Seb, Sienna and Charlie invent games haring around the boat.
They finally stand still after the anchor is dropped and squid fishing commences off the back of the boat. Some of the crew are also fishing off the tender whilst we stand at the back of the boat with nothing more than a long thin bamboo rod and fixed line attached to the end with a green lure on its end. Then it’s simply a case of letting it drop in the water before flicking it upwards. And repeat. And wait. Except for Sienna who very quickly catches one, then another squid which are put in a bowl. The crew caught a few, but none of the half dozen guests.
It’s great that we’re the only boat in this area. BTLT is already quieter than Halong Bay and the two night cruise has allowed us to travel a little further that the one nighters, meaning it's completely still and peaceful on the water surrounded by the darkening shadows of the karsts. One of the crew tells us to head up for dinner at 7pm, where, like lunch there are 2 starters, 3 fish main courses, then a chicken course before dessert. It’s all very tasty, each plate delivered by the crew from the kitchen below via a dumb waiter.
Mr Smiley gives a brief overview of tomorrow before one of the crew appears with a flute - after all the lights have been switched off for Earth hour, leaving only tea lights for illumination. Traditional Vietnamese music at 9pm is a step too far for Seb so we head down to our cabins, a final game of Uno played before bed using a torch to see.