One of the main reasons for visiting Hanoi was to see Halong Bay. We booked an overnight cruise which gave us just enough time to experience the area...without going crazy on a smallish boat with three active boys!
The trip from Hanoi was over three hours in a car. We had expected the thick white fog/smog to clear as we left the city behind but it actually seemed to get worse. The fumes and smoke became a little overwhelming...and even the kids started looking a bit foggy by the time we arrived.
Our driver didn't speak any English at all...so trying to explain to him at we needed a toilet stop proved to be quite a challenge...eventually Grant had to yell at him (and almost take over steering the car) to pull into a petrol station (I chose to hang on for the remainder of the trip...!)
When we finally arrived at the port we were treated to some food and drinks and finally boarded our beautiful boat..
We cruised out through the Bay between amazing limestone cliffs...made even more mystical with the white fog and haze. This is a truly spectacular place, almost surreal. Really worth the journey to experience this place.
The two days included a hike to an amazing lookout, walking though some amazing caves that reminded us of the movie 'journey to the centre of the earth...and a boat trip through a cave where we saw some very cheeky monkeys :)
The highlight for me was simply enjoying the majestic surroundings. The boat itself was quite luxurious and we met some great people too. The kids enjoyed chatting to 3 boys from San Francisco, comparing their lives!
The trip back to Hanoi wasnt so bad. We have one more day to explore before we head off to our next destination...
Posted with Blogsy
No comments:
Post a Comment