24.04 Day 69 Bai Tu Long Bay
Sunday 24th March - Bai Tu Long Bay (Day 69)
Waking at 6am like I used to everyday in Sydney, but no need to walk the dogs here. I head to the upper deck on Dragon Legend where one of the twitchers is the only other person here armed with a pair of binoculars and a device to record the audio. From the water we’ve already seen many birds of prey, mostly black kites, soaring and swooping over the sea and around the karsts. And before the boat engine starts up you can hear many more chirps and shrieks coming from the dense forests close by.
Coffee appears at 7am although most people are still slumbering, and then there’s another activity common to every boat; Tai Chi. Us four, plus a few more partake on the upper deck. As someone who’s never done Tai Chi, and assuming it was genuine, I’d describe it as very slow motion warm up for a hockey match, followed by wax on, wax off from karate kid, then slow motion spiderman releasing web. Seb lasts 60 seconds of the 20 minutes.
Breakfast in the dining room is a buffet of western and Vietnamese foods. Anchor raised, we chug along for an hour or so weaving through more of the karsts. I’m afraid there is unmistakingly an amount of pollution floating in the water; white styrofoam boxes and chunks are the most visible along with other various plastics.
The morning’s activity is kayaking, thankfully all of them double so Sienna and Kate pair up. Seb opts to not even take an oar then complains the moment I dare to stop paddling. The 15 or so kayaks pick up some rubbish (optional activity we chose to partake in) as we paddle for an hour around a karst. Amazing to see the karsts up close. There are a handful of boats employed by the Bay also sighted picking up rubbish. It’s not it’s-so-bad-I-wouldn’t-swim-in-this but it’s definitely present. That said, it doesn't destroy natural beauty overall.
Mr Smiley had mentioned the green credentials of Dragon Legend and its company IndoChina Junks, but I’m not sure replacing plastic straws with paper ones completely admonishes its responsibilities, but the sentiment is there.
Back onboard the ship continues on its merry way, again the guests dispersed around the ship creating a healthy sense of spaciousness as karsts of all shapes and sizes come and go, the only consistent aspect the way in which they rise dramatically out of the water.
Another of the appealing elements of this boat over others was the BBQ lunch on a beach which is up next. A dozen crew get into the 2nd tender, filled with food and chairs and tables with a 30 minute head start and disappear around the corner.
When it’s our turn to join them we are greeted with 100 metre wide beach enclosed in 3 sides by sheer rock, on the right a couple of BBQs are smoking away, next to them 3 rows of white table clothed tables - all drawing gasps of amazement from the guests. We’ve brought our football (obviously) and set up a goal against the opposite rock face using 2 large pieces of bamboo driftwood, while the other guests settle down for a drink before lunch. More succulent fish from king prawns to calamari, plus pork ribs and chicken skewers.
Despite the slightly grey conditions almost everyone jumps in the sea after because - when else do you get a chance to do this? It’s a great little adventure in our own bay for a couple of hours. Back on Dragon Legend Seb is again the only one into the pool, whilst everyone else scrubs up, spending the next few hours lounging in cabins or having a drink on the deck.
That is until Seb spots the Melbourian watching the Formula 1 Melbourne Grand Prix on his phone, after which point he and Charlie loiter on his shoulder, then following him around the ship as his signal cuts in and out.
Thankfully it’s not a school day so we all get to relax - wherever you are on the boat you can always drink in the views. The other guests are all almost entirely European or American with one other Australian with a mix of late 20’s, early 30’s and close to retirement age. Everyone is friendly with fleeting conversations at the mixed tables every mealtime.
After cruising around the karsts, the anchor is dropped for the day - this time with 5 or 6 other boats in sight but spread out - and after the sun drops, the squid fishing off the back reconvenes like last night. Sienna is unable to repeat her haul of last night, but then none of the guests appear to be having much luck.
Dinner commences with oysters which to their credit both kids gamely try. A great boat if you like fish because again it dominates the menu - like all the meals we feel we could have stopped half way, only eating it because it’s placed in front of us (and it’s tasty). This dinner is all served on an outdoor deck adding to the sense of occasion. My Milkeyman takes a turn as magician, Seb’s 6 year old amazement is very animated. After the tricks he asks the kids how much they believe in magic - Seb answers 99%, Charlie (1 year older) answers 50%, Sienna - her common sense and logic fighting the magic tricks she just witnessed can’t come up with a figure.
But she wants to believe and is quick to volunteer to be Mr Milkyman’s assistant for a final trick he does in front of the whole boat. Like last night there was more music playing plus some carrot and turnip carvings of doves, dragon and storks wheeled out by the chef. A most enjoyable day comes to an end soon after sinking into the soft beds.