We are back in the van on our return trip to Hanoi having spent the last 24 hours on board the Ginger Junk in Ha Long Bay which is part of the Gulf of Tonkin. I think I mentioned that we had high expectations for this sojourn and we were not disappointed. I was prepared for hot weather, but it was cool and comfortable since there was very little sun. But we were able to see the karsts (limestone pinnacles) with no problem in spite of the haze. In fact, although I have nothing to compare it to, I think I prefer the hazy weather because it makes the water and the karsts look so other-worldly.
We boarded around noon yesterday onto a tender which attaches itself to the junk moored a little ways out in the harbor. I was expecting a sleepy little village but this harbor is very busy with hundreds if not thousands of people milling about and so many boats of all types that one wonders how they will all fit into the bay. We had to descend some treacherous steps to get onto the tender, but made it with Thien’s help and then waited for the others. I could write for hours about the group of 18 that we were ship-mates with but suffice to say it was a most congenial group. They were all American except for a couple of ladies from England and Scotland and while we try to avoid going where the Americans go, I’ll make a big exception in this case. It didn’t take long for us all to become great friends and the variety of people was so interesting. A couple and their darling little boy from Austin but living in Singapore for a few years. He’s with Dell. The English/Scot ladies, widows maybe, were delightful and so interesting. Dierdre, the Scot, volunteers in Sri Lanka as a caretaker in an elephant camp once or twice a year. Then there was the college professor and her husband and sister. The sisters were born in Baltimore, so great rapport there. Two vivacious and lovely ladies traveling sans husbands, one from Columbus, Ohio and one from Rye, NY. They had some great stories to tell. A really nice couple from California that Mary and Neil may see again since they live near their Coronado house.
After we boarded, we were ushered up to the Salon for a brief orientation and description of the vessel and voyage to come. The staff was made up of five or six 90-pound Vietnamese guys, all very sweet and helpful. Then we were shown to our staterooms which were quite lovely considering we were on the high seas—two comfy beds, closet, marble bathroom with shower and big windows looking out on the incredible vista. A quick stowing of gear (must be ship-shape you know) and then up to the upper deck, a spacious expanse of teakwood with comfortable chaise longes and chairs. There we started to get acquainted with the others. Once we were out of the harbor though, the sights began. As you can see from the pictures (which I hope I can post), we sailed among the karsts sometimes so close you felt like you could reach out and touch them. Although I had seen many pictures on the internet, this was another case of you have to be there. The mountains are much larger than they looked like in the pictures and the grandeur is yet another example of the wonders of this earth. To get a sense of the scale, look at the boat against the karsts. I think the guide said there are 3,000 karsts in the bay, some with names but most with only numbers to identify them.
There were two shore excursions while on board, both requiring about a million steps to climb up in order to see the views from all sides. It’s worth the screaming calves, knees and thighs to make the trek. We also went into a huge cave where we could disembark and walk around. One can imagine that centuries ago people lived in these caves to protect themselves from the elements, but it must have been pretty spooky without the electric lights that today light your way.
Mealtime was great fun—gourmet lunch and dinner the first day. The crew had set the tables according to the parties—four seats at a table for us, three for the Singapore couple with child, and two for the other twosomes. But at lunch we pushed the tables together so that we all could sit together and by dinner the crew had picked up on our desires and had arranged the tables the same way. We were in bed by ten so as not to miss tai chi at 7:00 AM.
The next morning, after tai chi (you can see the tai chi “master” but I have spared you the pitiful attempts of our group to follow him), we had another shore excursion to see some more of the amazing variety of these island pinnacles, after which we were served a lovely lunch buffet and back to the marina by eleven where our faithful guide Thien was waiting. This is a must do for anyone visiting Vietnam.
We boarded around noon yesterday onto a tender which attaches itself to the junk moored a little ways out in the harbor. I was expecting a sleepy little village but this harbor is very busy with hundreds if not thousands of people milling about and so many boats of all types that one wonders how they will all fit into the bay. We had to descend some treacherous steps to get onto the tender, but made it with Thien’s help and then waited for the others. I could write for hours about the group of 18 that we were ship-mates with but suffice to say it was a most congenial group. They were all American except for a couple of ladies from England and Scotland and while we try to avoid going where the Americans go, I’ll make a big exception in this case. It didn’t take long for us all to become great friends and the variety of people was so interesting. A couple and their darling little boy from Austin but living in Singapore for a few years. He’s with Dell. The English/Scot ladies, widows maybe, were delightful and so interesting. Dierdre, the Scot, volunteers in Sri Lanka as a caretaker in an elephant camp once or twice a year. Then there was the college professor and her husband and sister. The sisters were born in Baltimore, so great rapport there. Two vivacious and lovely ladies traveling sans husbands, one from Columbus, Ohio and one from Rye, NY. They had some great stories to tell. A really nice couple from California that Mary and Neil may see again since they live near their Coronado house.
After we boarded, we were ushered up to the Salon for a brief orientation and description of the vessel and voyage to come. The staff was made up of five or six 90-pound Vietnamese guys, all very sweet and helpful. Then we were shown to our staterooms which were quite lovely considering we were on the high seas—two comfy beds, closet, marble bathroom with shower and big windows looking out on the incredible vista. A quick stowing of gear (must be ship-shape you know) and then up to the upper deck, a spacious expanse of teakwood with comfortable chaise longes and chairs. There we started to get acquainted with the others. Once we were out of the harbor though, the sights began. As you can see from the pictures (which I hope I can post), we sailed among the karsts sometimes so close you felt like you could reach out and touch them. Although I had seen many pictures on the internet, this was another case of you have to be there. The mountains are much larger than they looked like in the pictures and the grandeur is yet another example of the wonders of this earth. To get a sense of the scale, look at the boat against the karsts. I think the guide said there are 3,000 karsts in the bay, some with names but most with only numbers to identify them.
There were two shore excursions while on board, both requiring about a million steps to climb up in order to see the views from all sides. It’s worth the screaming calves, knees and thighs to make the trek. We also went into a huge cave where we could disembark and walk around. One can imagine that centuries ago people lived in these caves to protect themselves from the elements, but it must have been pretty spooky without the electric lights that today light your way.
Mealtime was great fun—gourmet lunch and dinner the first day. The crew had set the tables according to the parties—four seats at a table for us, three for the Singapore couple with child, and two for the other twosomes. But at lunch we pushed the tables together so that we all could sit together and by dinner the crew had picked up on our desires and had arranged the tables the same way. We were in bed by ten so as not to miss tai chi at 7:00 AM.
The next morning, after tai chi (you can see the tai chi “master” but I have spared you the pitiful attempts of our group to follow him), we had another shore excursion to see some more of the amazing variety of these island pinnacles, after which we were served a lovely lunch buffet and back to the marina by eleven where our faithful guide Thien was waiting. This is a must do for anyone visiting Vietnam.
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