Being so close, we felt we could not miss the spectacular Ha Long Bay. With 1969 limestone islands jutting out of the sea it really is stunning.(We only know that there are 1969 islands as it is also the year of Ho Chi Minh's death. Is this a coinsidence or an element of fiction by the country's rulers- never missing the chance for some pointless propoganda).
Anyway- joining a tour with about 10 others we headed off to the islands and the brand new boat on it's maiden voyage. Fantastic, however someone did mention the Titanic. We were probably amongst the oldest, along with some very cool Americans, Chris and Kim.
The boat really was pretty smart with great rooms and deck to enjoy the views. We were excitedly told that all the rooms had sea views- we could not hide our surprise. As with many tourist attractions the secret is out. Our hopes of being the only boat amoungst the islands were soon dashed. With about 100 boarts nearby we were later told that it is for our own safety that the boats are close to each other.
Relaxing, enjoying the journey to the islands a few beers were shared by all. At $2 it was like paying UK prices for beer. Having been guided around the caves on an island, Chris and Kim along with Shannon and I resolved to enjoy the cheaper prices of beer to bring onto the boat. We were spotted by our guide and told this was not possible. Resorting to student-like activities we smuggled the cans aboard- moral victory No 1. It was a short lived victory.
Showering after a power 45 minute canoeing, I managed to spectacularly pull down the towel rail. Revenge for Vietnam. Not only did the rail fall off but whilst plummeting to the ground it rebounded off the toilet cystern- shattering the top cover. Great. It was not as if I was doing pull ups and had broken the rail irresponsibly. Vietnam strikes again. Apparantely toilet lids are a prized commodity in Vietnam. Undoubtedly making a hansome profit we were charged $36 for the privilege.
The only saving grace and redeeming feature was that I was able to win a T shirt at one of the beaches by running across 5 floating and unstable polysterene blocks. I put it down to years of training at the Wargrave and Shiplake regatta and all those unsuccessfull attempts on the greesy poll.
The few days at the bay were indeed fun, more due to the people we met and the feeling that there was a constant battle against being ripped off. Though worth spending time out there I would recommend booking through Kangaroo Cafe. Everyone we have met have had great tours and not experienced the problem of some of the locals ways of extracting the extra dollar from you.
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