The Bay

It feels so good in the bay,   It feels so good in the bay

Despite the relentless rain that washed away the sky and misted the landscape into a ghost town, it was still amazing to be sailing around the Gulf of Tonkin and the 3000+ limestone islands of Halong Bay.  

 Lonely Planet said Halong Bay would appear similar to Guilin, China and Krabi, Thailand* - and I can't say that they lied.  While the scenery in all three places bore near mirror images of one another, Halong Bay is the only place I can say I spent a night out on her waters (8/6-7). 

From what we had found out about the cruises in the Bay - from asking around at different booking agents and having friends who had already been - they all seemed to be the same experience.  

What it came down to was: accommodations, length of stay, price and (ultimately the deciding factor for us) direction.  

Aclass Cruises was the only company we found that sailed clockwise around the Bay.  We didn't need top quality, we didn't have much time, but we did want an experience that wouldn't feel congested by the exploitation of tourism.  So sailing in the opposite direction compared to everyone else seemed just the right way to do it!  

With the rain we weren't able to sit outside or enjoy a few hours sunbathing on the deck, but we were still able to participate in the other planned activities - kayaking around the Vung Vieng floating village (but for us we choose to enjoy a boat ride), learning how to make spring rolls, and jumping off the deck into the Gulf (which stopped after one jump when we spotted a 5 foot long jellyfish passing by).

Me:  (to crew member) Are there jellyfish in the Bay?

Crew member:  No.

Me:  Really?  I just saw one.

CM:  There may be small ones but they are the safe ones.  The big ones are dangerous.

Me: So that one (pointing to the 5 foot long jellyfish) is not safe?

CM:  (shocked look) No, not safe.

I tried to talk Britt into one more jump after that, but she wouldn't do it and a solo jump just didn't sound as fun; so we went in and called it a night.

The following day we went exploring in Sung Sot Cave (otherwise known as Surprising Cave).  The interior of the cave had been lit with lights of neon greens and dull oranges that gave shape and eerie shadows to the stalagmites and stalactites that decorated the floor and ceiling.   

The shelter of the cave was a provided some relief from the rain, but by the time we left it was really coming down and very few of us returned to the main boat dry.  

After that it was just a small goodbye party of wine and fruit and we were taken back to port, collected in our minibus and driven back to Hanoi to board the overnight train to Hoi An.

*Koh Phi Phi is in Krabi province