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Incredible views in every direction. This picture was taken by Beth from outside Thien Canh Son Cave |
We're back in Hanoi now. Actually we're back at the same hotel (Golden Rice Hotel) and in the same room where we spent our first two nights in Vietnam. We really like the location, which is in the "Old Town" section and the hotel staff are very friendly. When we checked in the front desk clerk recognized us. She told us we didn't need to present our passports and that there was a plate of fruit waiting for us in the room. Our stay this time is only for one night. Tomorrow morning we'll be on our way to Sapa, which is located about five hours northwest of Hanoi.
If you looked at a map of Vietnam, what we have done so far looks a little bit like a counterclockwise loop. It started in Hanoi. We then went to the Puluong Nature Reserve. From there to Ninh Binh then on to Bai Tu Long Bay before returning to Hanoi today.
The past two nights were on a small boat cruising through the scenic waters of Bai Tu Long Bay. This bay looks very similar to Halong Bay, which sits just to the east. There are hundreds of limestone islets (small mountain tops formed from volcanic activity thousands of years ago) of all shapes and sizes throughout the bay, making it a surreal sitting. The main difference between the two bays is that Halong Bay is much busier and unfortunately we have heard it has gotten somewhat polluted.
From what we understand, there are about 40 boats operating in Bai Tu Long Bay and about 10 times that many in Halong Bay. So if you find yourself wanting to spend a night or two on calm waters, surrounded by incredible scenery, Bai Tu Long Bay is your place.
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Meet Luna, our on board guide for the first night of the cruise. She had more energy than a squirrel after drinking a Red Bull. She couldn't say "Kent" so we quickly became Ken and Barbie! Along with being energetic she was cute, funny and very informative. She told us we could come live with her and her family anytime! |
The boat we were on was the "Renea". These boats are often called "Junks", because they are built to look similar to early Chinese sailing vessels with that name. It had a total of 11 rooms, so it's passenger capacity was around 22. We saw several slightly larger boats and well as some that were smaller, but I think in terms of size it was pretty close to the average. It was listed as a "four star" (out of five stars), which is plenty for us. The first night there were a total of 6 passengers on board. The second night there were eighteen of us. They offer one and two night cruises, so if you do a two night cruise you'll most likely get to meet some new folks the second night.
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Renea |
The crew was extremely friendly and the food was as amazing as the views. Breakfast was pretty standard fare. Breads, fruits, eggs, etc. but lunch and dinner were sites to behold. I don't think I've ever had a nine course lunch, followed a few hours later by a nine course dinner. As we were eating, we happily tried to keep up with the pace with which it was being served, while our brains were actually wondering, is it ever going to stop!
From the boat we did a couple of activities. The first afternoon we were taken by a tender boat to a small floating dock where we kayaked around several of the islets to a small beach. We were able to enjoy a swim in the slightly chilly but refreshing water before kayaking back to the starting point. Beth is quite talented at many things. Me, not so much! I'm still searching for my talents. I can tell you one thing that we unequivocally are not talented at, kayaking! We've done it a few times over the years and while we generally get to where we want to go, we don't take the shortest, straightest route. Give me a paddleboard or give us a canoe and we're fine. Give us a kayak and for some reason we're all over the place.
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Zig Zagging around Bai Tu Long Bay...…….maybe I should have been paddling? |
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They don't look hard to control! |
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Pulling in the net |
The second day of the cruise started with Tai Chi on the boat (nope, not one of my talents either but it was fun) After breakfast it quickly became like a scene from the Bachelor or Bachelorette. Not that I would ever watch such a ridiculous show, but you know how they often end up on a date on a private boat in some exotic location? Well that was us. Of the six passengers the first night we were the only ones that had booked it as a two night cruise. So the morning of Day 2 we said goodbye to the other two couples and were transferred to another boat that was only slightly smaller than the Renea. We thought there might be other people joining us from other boats, but no, we had the boat to ourselves (along with a crew of around 5-6). We enjoyed more kayaking and a swim off a small but private beach. In the afternoon we were taken to a small floating fishing village that until recently housed not only fishermen but entire families. It even had it's own elementary school. Due to cost and environmental factors the village was closed to families but fishermen still occupy many of the small floating houses.
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One's a Tai Chi master...……...the other not so much. |
In between the beach and visit to the floating village was lunch. Once again, it was a nine course lunch. But this time either the chef didn't get the memo that there were only two passengers or he didn't know how to cut the recipe down to size. There was easily enough food to feed 6-8 hungry people!
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Lunch on our private boat |
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Chicken Stir Fry |
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Pork Spring Rolls |
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There were numerous garnishments made of cut fruits and vegetables at every meal. |
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Part of the fishing village has been turned into a pearl farm. Peral producing oysters are being grown on all the bouys. The boat on the far left was our "private boat" for the day! |
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Being rowed around the floating fishing village |
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There were three ladies from Australia on the small row boat with us. They, along with the hole in the islet in front of us made for a good picture. |
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One of the many small houses of the floating village
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If by chance you do find Vietnam on your itinerary sometime in the future, you're going to love it! By all means try to include a night or two on a small boat in Bai Tu Long Bay...……..you'll be glad you did!
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Making Spring Rolls! |
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Not bad for the first one! |
Here's a few more pictures...…………….