Cruising Hạ Long Bay

Ha Long Bay is a bay of monolithic islands rising up from the Gulf of Tonkin. Halong translates to 'where the dragon descends into the sea' and legend claims the islands were created by a great dragon from the mountains. There are around 2,000 islands, some hallowed out by huge caves, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site plus one of the 7 Wonders of Nature. We travelled 100km during our 3 day/2 night trip on the "Au Co" covering Halong, Lan Ha and Bai Tu Long Bays. There are currently 400 boat tour operators on the water and the government is currently reviewing how to maintain the stunning beauty of the area and minimize environmental impact.

All the meals were delicious (all 5 courses) and a shout out to the the kitchen is needed because they were an absolute dream accommodating everyone's dietary restrictions. The evenings were spent lounging at the bar, participating in food carving or squid fishing off the deck. A big highlight was touring Sung Sot Cave which is one of the largest grottos in the bay. Local fishermen used to live in the caves until the government opened it up to tourists 20 years ago and they chose to live in floating villages instead. Not only were the caves beautifully intricate but we were also blown away but the sheer size. We were snapping photos like crazy while our guide was hilariously trying to point out all sorts of animals in the rocks.

During the second day we took traditional bamboo rowboats through the Vung Vieng Floating village. About 1,600 people used to live in the village until the government started encouraging people to move to the mainland for work, health and safety reasons about 5 months ago. The numbers are now down to 300 and the site appears to be mainly for tourists to check out some of the few houses left, the old school and have the opportunity to buy pearls from the area and other souvenirs.  

Another great excursion was kayaking around the islands and through some naturally formed caves. After an hour of paddling the crew met us on one of the larger motorized boats and we spent the rest of the afternoon floating around in the Viet Hai Lagoon. The day ended with a delicious barbecue stocked with fresh seafood and traditional Vietnamese dessert.

This scene never got old. 

Best view from the terrace. 

These women are selling everything from beer to oreos and will use a fishing net to pass things up to the second floor. It's a hard way of life on the water and I wanted to buy everything from everyone.

Spring roll food demonstration, complete with speed rolling competition and learning how to yell cheers in Vietnamese. 

Sung Sot Cave, aka Surprise Cave.

My pictures hardly do the size and detail justice.

View from the top of the caves.

Our bamboo boats used to tour the village. It was incredibly peaceful and the locals seemed to be keeping themselves entertained by racing and chatting (probably about us!). 

One of the few floating houses. Some people live in small homes while others are only on boats. 

Kayaking through caves. 

The water was a little chilly but still warmer than home! 

On our last morning we hiked up a hill and finished off swimming at the beach. We kept feeling little pin pricks and later found out that it was stinging plankton. Who knew since you couldn't actually see them!

250 steps to the top!