Halong Bay

A Vietnamese friend of a friend who lives in DC recommended that if I had a few days to see something of the country, I should head for Halong Bay, a World Heritage Site of 3,000 rocky islands off the north coast of Vietnam. It was an excellent suggestion and I even managed to find an adventure tourist operator that offered kayaking. I signed up for a three day individual trip.

Unfortunately, my trip coincided with the arrival of the remnants of a tropical storm. My first view of the bay was to a chorus of violent retching. Fortunately the old trick of keeping my eyes glued to the horizon meant that I managed to stave off the green in spite of the putrid smell and nausea inducing sounds, to say nothing of the pitching waves crashing over the boat. But not even the harrowing experience of that boat ride could stop me from being completely awestruck by my first sight of the islands. Words cannot do justice to the bay, so I am posting some photos, and even those only capture a small part of the magnificence.

As I disembarked I realized that my bag, which had been on the floor between my feet, was completely soaked. I just hoped that it was from the ocean coming in through cracks in the windows rather than the alternative… The boat was not exactly waterproof and during a particularly bad bout of rolling waves I did find myself wondering how I would get out if the boat actually tipped. Needless to say it rained continuously for the three days I was there so I was wet for 72 hours. Fortunately it was hot enough that it didn’t matter too much and I was having too much fun to notice.

By 10:30 am we had arrived at camp, a collection of thatched sleeping huts, an open dining shelter and a kitchen (see photo). I spent the first day enjoying the absolute silence sitting in the dining room reading or writing and watching the rain blanket this heavenly scenery and of course kayaking. My guide and I went out for a few hours in the afternoon. He at first seemed to be the quiet serious type, but later I realized he was the quiet immature type. Disappointingly he knew very little of the flora and fauna, the way of life of the fishermen living on houseboats in the bay, and even less about kayaking. It just meant that I had lots of for enjoying the scenery in quiet.

The second day we were in kayaks for about eight hours of pure heaven. We actually saw monkeys twice (a rare sighting even once) and I saw a snake and lots of amazing jelly fish. It did make me more hesitant to go for a long swim like my first day!

By the third day my arms were really aching from the strenuous work out that they aren’t used to, but I wanted to make the most of it. So I got up at 5:30am (jet lag does have it’s benefits) and headed out by myself for three hours. It would be so easy to get lost in this maze of islands that all look the same so I just stuck to the coast of the island the camp is on. It was so great to be out there on my own. After breakfast my guide told me he had saved the best for last and took me out. As the tide was going out, we kayaked through a shallow cave for 200 meters or so. It was so shallow that we were crouched down in pitch black with only a weak flashlight to guide us. Finally we literally saw the light at the end of the tunnel and suddenly we were out in a tiny enclosed lake that could only be reached through the cave. The waters were untainted by the pollution in the rest of the bay and you could see the impact. From sitting up in the kayak I could count the different types and colors of corals and sea urchins. It was completely silent except for the sound of the birds and our paddles in the water. It was an amazing send off, but I’m sure that it will not be the last time that I visit Halong Bay. I’m considering brining a sea kayak with me if I move out here!