Ha Long Bay Part I

I took a two day, one night boat trip to Ha Long Bay with Vega Travel this week for a short break. Halong Bay is such an amazing place for a quiet and relaxing time, to get away from the motorbike horn, the shouting and the job stress. It is no wonder that this is one of the world natural heritage sites. Here is my story.

The tour company picked me up from my house then we headed to Ha Long Bay, the trip taking us about three hours. The weather wasn't too good in the morning but it got better and the sun came out finally. I loved sunbathing on the top roof, and I took heaps of pictures and enjoyed drinking wine and cold beer. I took a small group trip with only eleven other people, a few from Spain, England and Viet Nam. The food was good on board the boat, we were served seafood, of course, and spring rolls, soup and salad and they also prepared a special menu for vegetarians as well.

We went to what they call 'Surprising Cave' at first and this is a real wonder with an amazing cave with light and interesting rock formations. "Do you know what makes women happy?" asked my tour guide. Look at the picture below and you will get the answer :)

After the cave, we went to Ti Top island where the boat stopped for awhile for us to climb up to the top of the hill which has an amazing view of Ha Long Bay. We left Ti Top to go kayaking nearby and swimming. This was the first time I'd ever tried kayaking and it was great. We swam until about six in the evening when we had dinner. I was a bit drunk at about eight after finishing off my wine and a few beers. I went to bed early but I woke up early the next day to catch the sun rise,at 5.30 in the morning. It was so quiet, nothing much happening around, just the boat engine going sometimes on and off. Sitting on the top of the boat in that peaceful atmosphere made me feel life is so nice and I just forget about the busy stress of normal life.

To be continued...