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Cruising Halong Bay, Vietnam on a Chinese junk

One of the must-do's are, if your visit to Hanoi is a side trip to Halong Bay. I personally did it twice – once done a bit of budget, and most recently in Indochina Sails on style. Indochina Sails is a really elegant cruising experience lovingly on his restored, painted wood, antique junk.

It all begins with a morning trip from Hanoi, which is about three hours – is your boat arrange transportation from your hotel. Undoubtedly about half the way we will stop a few souvenir shops … These are usually with the driver (without the knowledge of the co-driver) agreed and we suspect he gets a kind of commission. You can either spend time here or to go quickly. I will say more on my travel budget, the caliber of the store reflects the caliber of the trip. But on this, could we have a stop at a place where they have been making pottery and statues, so that for some of us, it was actually really interesting to walk into the shop and see the vases are hand-painted and then fired.

As we drove past the docks where I stand about last time (full of backpackers in a dusty parking lot and load their own Luggage), I was seen to repleat to a very civilized way to get a starting point with coffee and gift shop. If you are traveling Indochina Sails, a steward, you are in the cafeteria and shall take your luggage while checking in for a short ride in a small boat, on board the junk and are immediately enveloped in the old world elegance.

After checking the lunch will be served. We enjoyed (Sup Kem Bi Thu) pumpkin soup;

(Nem Cuon Tuoi Phuc Vu Cung Nuoc) fresh spring rolls with fish sauce and green papaya salad;

(He Ha Long Tom Chien XOT Me), grilled prawns with tamarind sauce Halong;

(Ga Nuong La Chanh Tuoi Cung) grilled chicken with lemon leaves;

(As Ca Nuong Vuoc Phuc Vu Cung Va Nuoc Cham Bun Tuoi Duc Biet) grilled fish with rice and sauce classic;

(Cocktail Hoa Sua Chua Qua &) fruit cocktail and yoghurt.

The pumpkin soup was really excellent – smooth and creamy. And the spring rolls were a hit.
Overall, it should be noted that while the food is good, this is not a culinary cruise will be. In my book, welcome dinner was probably the best. The other meals were buffet style, which often is not my preference. The buffet dinner function, however, has some delicious steamed littleneck clams. With that said, everything is pay your food per person included, its only wine, beer, coffee or tea for you is extra for a meal (except breakfast, where is the coffee / tea for free.)

But the real attraction on this trip is the majestic backdrop of the green peridot Halong Bay and the limestone cliffs that the view so dramatically and convincingly to make. Halong Bay has been a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1994, explains. As a result of the waters and the land are well maintained and you can be sure that the beauty will remain.

And the beauty you see, there is much beauty that you can not. This is where the boat trips to the days to come in. You can visit Titop island and walk 400 + steps to the top for a panoramic view of the bay.

Also on offer is a one-hour kayak tour (+ $ 10 USD per person) or A visit to a local fishing village. We chose the kayak tour and so we started with a tour of the bay to explore. It was really fantastic being so close to the water after He admired her shimmering jewel-like qualities from on high. I was really hoping it would be translucent, but it was not. So we took a rather little arm and shoulder workout, as we maneuvered under low-hanging cave entrances, and admired the limestone rock formations.

Once on board, there there a Happy Hour. Again, all drinks are a la carte, but if you want in an all you can drink happy hour 60 minutes for $ 15USD part of the option is yours. The nice Thing about Vietnam is its French colonial legacy given, they get a nice selection of wines French. I enjoyed a crisp Sauvignon Blanc on the upper deck with Friends as we chatted about the day and we had enjoyed the day before. It was a perfect night, a bit crispy and airy, and as I enjoyed my wine and conversation, the cares of the world melted away and I was in a rare condition (for me anyway) the real to 100% at the moment.
Later that night we slept quite comfortably in our cabin. The boat had been docked for the night and very quiet in the calm waters of the bay. Paul was worried he would not be able to sleep on a boat, but his concerns melted away when he fell into a deep sleep. In fact, this morning we were both surprised at how well we slept – probably a combination of movement, fresh air and good wine.

Day 2 began with a morning excursion to Sung Sot Cave (also known as Surprise Cave) on Bon Hon island, where the 100 steps to the Cave entrance can climb and explore for about an hour. The interior of the cave, the passage of light is lit, so you can see thousands of stalactites and stalagmites along the 500-meter paved passage. It is likely the only cave of its kind, which I personally seen, and he lives large in my memory. I wish it was a little more rustic than tourists hard, but in the end I'm glad I visited.

After the morning tour the boat heads back to the dock, and it is time to head back to Hanoi. Another 3-hour drive, another attack on a souvenir shop. When we told the journey back during our trip, myself, Paul and the other five passengers who were with us agree that Halong Bay was absolutely spectacular to see and to do something, it was aboard the Indochina Sails good time and money created.
To contact Indochina Sails, you can do so by their wesbite below.

Indochina Sails
$ 165 USD per person for a double room, including meals and transportation. Dos drive is not included several activities such as kayaking.

Source: accidentalepicurean.com

About the Author

Indochina Sails

Add: 27, A6, Dam Trau Quarter, Hanoi, Vietnam

Tel:84-4-39842362

Website: http://www.indochinasails.com