Before boarding, we’d imagined a romatic junk gently bobbing past the many islands in a serene Halong Bay. That was BEFORE boarding. On arrival at the port, we jostled our way past hundreds of other tourists and hundreds of other junks to board our boat – HMS Opiate. Or so it seemed from the bleary eyed, bewildered crew and the all to evident bong in the galley. Oh well, the cabins were great (private bathroom, window and big double bed) and the cook was brilliant despite (or perhaps in view of) his obvious drug taking.
Despite the fog, the bay was pretty spectacular with karsts looming into view from every angle. We stopped to have a look at a huge cave full of amazing rock formations, some of which (according to our guide) apparently took the form of turtles, elephants and other animals…hmmm….maybe if you’ve just had a massive spliff, hey guidey? A beer at sundown, a good meal & a peaceful night’s sleep and we were ready for a morning spent kayaking around the islands and floating villages, and an afternoon mountain biking to Cat Ba National Park, passing through some tiny villages on the way. All most enjoyable!
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