All I can say is that it was amazing. It took us about two hours to get from Hai Phong to Ha Long Bay. There were so many people in the parking lot, cars and buses everywhere, people hawking tickets to their boat cruises, and a general air of anticipation. This is one of the highlights of any trip to Vietnam, and being Sunday, it seemed that everyone in the country was there. Here is a picture of our driver, Thuc, along with Bill. They really seem excited, don't they?
Vinh liked to know everything that was going on. This is him looking out for enemy submarines from the bow. I felt so much safer with him around.
The interior of the boat was a long table with padded benches. There was also room on top for about five people to stand or sit. It was a family atmosphere and we got to enjoy each other's company.
We brought our own food, but I decided to get Pringles and Oreos when we stopped at the cave. Oh, yes, the cave. It was rather boring and jarring. We were herded into a line, walked up a billion steps (very steep), where hustled through the cave, and then out again to where there were souvenirs and snacks. Ah, capitalism rears its ugly head.
This is one of the boats. When we took off at 7:30 a.m., there was an armada of about 20 of these ships all trying to get across the bay to the island with the cave. The diesel fumes were choking us, but it was a fun race.Here is the captain of our fair vessel. I know it's not a very exciting video, but it's the best I can do. The scenery went by way too slowly for me to get anything breathtaking, so you're stuck with this guy.
