Halong Bay (Dragon Bay) and Bai Tu Long Bay (Baby Dragon Bay)
Our trip into Halong Bay (Dragon Bay) and Bai Tu Bay (Baby Dragon Bay) didn't disappoint. The scenery was at once breathtaking, inspiring and peaceful. There are nineteen hundred Karst Limestone Islands in the two bay's. Our time was spent kayaking two separate times with one stopping at a beautiful spit of beach where we swam for a hour. We also had dinner in a cave. All of the breakfasts, lunches and dinners were very interesting and quite good.
Martha's Notes:
A 2-hour kayak trip in 100 degree heat mid-day. Chuck and I didn't kill each other, so we'll call it a success! My hips, arms, and wrists ached and reminded me that I have arthritis, which I had kind of forgotten on this trip. The heat and exercise together made me feel sick, and I spent the afternoon in the cabin trying to sleep. I felt bad, because the boat was cruising the bay all afternoon, and I missed everything.
Our cave dinner was amazing, although I probably didn't appreciate it as much as I might have, since the heat was still bothering me. 146 steps up to the cave, and I was dripping with sweat again. My showers that I had taken that day didn't last long.
I woke up at 6:30 am on our final day on the boat feeling like hell. My body ached, both from the awful bed and the kayaking and climbing we had done the previous day. The heat was already oppressive and my journal read like this: "My hips ache, my head aches, my neck aches. I don't ever feel like going outdoors again. I am tired of sweating. I am tired of humidity. I am tired of traveling. I want to stay in one place. I am ready to go home." The morning's activity was to take a boat ride through a fishing village. I excused myself and stayed in the air conditioning.
While I gave myself some quiet time in the cabin, Chuck spent some time talking to a young man on the crew about the effects of the wars that Vietnam had been in. The young man, like all the others we had talked to, was fast to reassure Chuck that the past was in the past, and that things were better now.
Our trip into Halong Bay (Dragon Bay) and Bai Tu Bay (Baby Dragon Bay) didn't disappoint. The scenery was at once breathtaking, inspiring and peaceful. There are nineteen hundred Karst Limestone Islands in the two bay's. Our time was spent kayaking two separate times with one stopping at a beautiful spit of beach where we swam for a hour. We also had dinner in a cave. All of the breakfasts, lunches and dinners were very interesting and quite good.
Martha's Notes:
A 2-hour kayak trip in 100 degree heat mid-day. Chuck and I didn't kill each other, so we'll call it a success! My hips, arms, and wrists ached and reminded me that I have arthritis, which I had kind of forgotten on this trip. The heat and exercise together made me feel sick, and I spent the afternoon in the cabin trying to sleep. I felt bad, because the boat was cruising the bay all afternoon, and I missed everything.
Our cave dinner was amazing, although I probably didn't appreciate it as much as I might have, since the heat was still bothering me. 146 steps up to the cave, and I was dripping with sweat again. My showers that I had taken that day didn't last long.
I woke up at 6:30 am on our final day on the boat feeling like hell. My body ached, both from the awful bed and the kayaking and climbing we had done the previous day. The heat was already oppressive and my journal read like this: "My hips ache, my head aches, my neck aches. I don't ever feel like going outdoors again. I am tired of sweating. I am tired of humidity. I am tired of traveling. I want to stay in one place. I am ready to go home." The morning's activity was to take a boat ride through a fishing village. I excused myself and stayed in the air conditioning.
While I gave myself some quiet time in the cabin, Chuck spent some time talking to a young man on the crew about the effects of the wars that Vietnam had been in. The young man, like all the others we had talked to, was fast to reassure Chuck that the past was in the past, and that things were better now.
Our plotted positions on the way from Hanoi to Halong Bay
Traditional Vietnamese Water Puppet Show
During the trip down to Halong Bay and our boat, -our driver took us to lunch and a Traditional Water Puppet Show.
Click on the image below to see a video of the Water Puppet show. Make sure you view it in full screen (lower right of the video window).
Halong Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay are World Heritage Parks. They defy description by mere words. I'll let the video and photos do the talking.
Click on the image below to see a video of our boat trip on Halong Bay. Make sure you view it in full screen (lower right of the video window).
Click on the image below to see a slide show of some of photos from our boat trip
As part of our Halong cruise we were treated to dinner in Cat Ba Cave. Ca Ba Island is in Bai Tu Long Bay (Baby Dragon Bay).
Click on the image below to see a video of our Cat Ba Cave Dinner. Make sure you view it in full screen (lower right of the video window).
Vital Statistics
Date - Tuesday, September 29
High Temperature - 95 degrees, Heat Factor 110 degrees
Kayaked - 2 hours (mid-day)
