Day 86: Hạ Long Bay, Vietnam

Sunday, 2 April 2017
Somewhere in Bai Tu Long Bay … Onboard Prince I

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Position (per Wikipedia): 20.54N / 107.12E

Half the fun of travel is the esthetic of lostness.
~ Ray Bradbury ~

It’s at times like this morning that we are glad that we are early-birds!  Our day started before the sun broke the horizon.  Peter had told us that sunrise was at 5:45a and that Insignia would begin transiting Hạ Long Bay (HLB), Vietnam around 6:00a.  Of course we could not miss documenting the 20 million year old sea-and-karst landscape that has made this area of the Gulf of Tonkin world-famous … and deserving of its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bai Tu Long Bay … afternoon … Even more beautiful with the sun shining.

Including some 1,600 monoliths that form islands and islets — most uninhabited — HLB covers an approximate area 167 square miles (433 sq km).  The UNESCO listing describes it as …

… The outstanding value of the property is centered around the drowned limestone karst landforms, displaying spectacular pillars with a variety of coastal erosional features such as arches and caves which form a majestic natural scenery.  The repeated regression and transgression of the sea on the limestone karst over geological time has produced a mature landscape of clusters of conical peaks and isolated towers which were modified by sea invasion, adding an extra element to the process of lateral undercutting of the limestone towers and islands.

This is what we were here to see.

When we went up to deck 11 forward shortly before 6:00a, the sun was still hiding behind the clouds.  We still had hope that the haze — combination of a marine layer and smog — would burn off.  It wasn’t meant to be.  In fact, the sun peeked through a slit in the clouds very briefly before disappearing to leave the grand land- and seascape around us veiled as though we were viewing it through a filmy curtain.  All but the karst formations nearest Insignia were mere silhouettes in monochrome.  There was no way pictures were going to come even close to capturing the awe-inspiring scenery our eyes were beholding.  Nonetheless, camera shutter buttons clicked and Mui stood vigil as his GoPro documented our passage every so many seconds to create a time-lapse of our experience.

By 7:30a, Insignia was at its anchorage across from the Bai Chay Ferry Station.  Minutes later, a barge was in position in front of the tender platform to serve as a larger platform from which local boats could quickly embark passengers heading off on tours.  With our private boat charter not scheduled until noon, we were in no hurry to disembark.  We had a leisurely breakfast at the Terrace Café and finished packing our bag for an overnight stay away from our ‘home’ before joining the Zs in the lobby at 10:00a.

First on our agenda was to pick up our passports from the purser.  “Yes, we understand that the Vietnamese landing card issued by the authorities is all we need to get off the ship,” we said to Canan at the front desk.  “Yes, we know the ship is not leaving until 8:00p tomorrow and that our overnight junk cruise will be returning to the mainland around noon,” we continued.  “Yes, we know the chances of something happening to leave us stranded are nil,” we agreed.  Nonetheless, we wanted to have our passports with us — just in case.  There was a bit of hemming and hawing, but the staff eventually agreed to give us our passports … along with forms stamped by Vietnamese authorities for use in the event we had to fly out to meet the ship at the next port.

At the gangway, we stopped to get our landing cards stamped by two uniformed Vietnamese officials.  After stowing said cards securely — we will need to return them before the ship leaves Vietnam on the 7th — off we went to the tender.

We still had an hour before our scheduled pick up by Indochina Junk, the operator with which we had booked our overnight cruise of HLB.  We used the time to get some Vietnamese Dongs from the ATM adjacent to the Wyndham across the street from the tender pier.  We didn’t anticipate needing them for our HLB excursion, but figured getting them now would be easier than doing so in Ho Chi Minh City where we will be on tour with others.  The bonus to using this particular ATM — there was hardly any traffic to contend with when crossing the street.

Money securely pocketed, TZ called the operator to advise them that we were ready to be picked up.  It wasn’t quite 11:00a yet, but they sent a driver anyway to transfer us across Bai Chay Bridge to the Indochina Junk office.  Here we paid the balance owed on our private charter and met Bach, our guide.  A short wait and a few phone calls to the captain of the junk to confirm they were ready for us, and soon we were on our way to the Hong Gai International Harbor.  Our transport … a golf cart on steroids.  Captain Thao and Chi, who turned out to be our waiter, greeted us warmly, and issued the life jackets we were required to wear by law for the short tender transfer to the junk that was awaiting us a short distance away.

Our home for the HLB cruise was the Prince I — a junk capable of accommodating five people in two cabins with modern en suite facilities.  Even as we were getting settled in our cabins, Captain Thao was maneuvering the junk away from its anchorage, careful not to run into any of the hundreds of boats of all sizes all around us.  We didn’t dally in the cabin, going up to watch the cityscape passing by as soon as we felt the boat moving.  Soon, we were amongst the karst formations once again.  And it was time for lunch.

My … what a lunch it was!  The quality and quantity of food Chef Tuyen produced from his very basic kitchen was simply amazing … and in many ways reminded me of our experience with Hilmi Usta on our Blue Voyage in the Med a few years ago.  The menu started with a hot and sour seafood soup, and a salad.  These appetizer courses were followed by several main courses … each in small plates for the four of us to share … a lot of food.  There was steamed prawns Vietnamese style; Saigon style sautéed crab with shallots and tamarind sauce; Hue royal palace steamed sea bass; stewed chicken with black beans and goji berries; sautéed seasonal vegetables; and rice.  Dessert was a plate of pineapple and dragon fruit. 
 
As we ate, the Prince I continued winding its way through HLB to Bai Tu Long Bay.  We couldn’t sit still and were up and down frequently, taking photos of this magical place — which comes with a magical legend.  Hạ Long translates as the “descending dragon.”  According to local lore, the islands were formed by a family of dragons sent here by the gods to help the Jade Emperor defend against enemy invaders from the north.  As the dragons charged from the mountains to the sea, their flailing tails gouged out valleys and crevasses that were filled with water when they finally descended below the surface.  The dragons then spat out pearls that formed islands and razor-sharp mountains to serve as a barrier against the enemy.  The dragon family was so entranced by their creation that it is said they remained in the area, giving rise to sightings of sea monsters even today.

As the cruise progressed, the sky cleared and patches of blue appeared overhead.  Soon, we were sailing under blue skies.  Though the smog was still evident, the formations near the junk were more clearly visible.  The sun warmed up the cool temperature, but it never got too hot.  This was a very pleasant surprise as I had been expecting a hot and steamy Vietnam experience.

The charter we booked came with two stops today — one at a cave and another one for kayaking.  We got news yesterday that kayaking had to be canceled due to government orders effective April 1.  Thien Canh Son Cave was, therefore, our only opportunity to get off the junk.  We arrived at the island where the cave is located to find a whole slew of junks tendering their passengers ashore.  This is my only quibble about our HLB experience — too many boats all plying the same waters.  Better organization with staggered arrivals would make for a better experience … for everyone.

In any event, our timing wasn’t too bad.  Those who were in the cave before us were coming down when we stepped ashore, so we got to walk through the cave by ourselves, encountering a few people only as we were leaving.   Inside, the cave was nothing special — certainly we’ve seen far more impressive stalactites and stalagmites.  And the size was small … especially in comparison to the Fairy Caves we hiked up to in Kuching not long ago.  Nonetheless, it was nice to stretch our legs a bit, and afterwards we got to sit in chairs set aside on the beach for Indochina Junk customers and watch as junk-after-junk tendered passengers ashore to visit the cave.

From here Prince I continued its meandering heading to Bai Tu Long Bay — which is referred to as “the bay less traveled.”  Indochina bills itself as the first company to be awarded official permission to take tourists to this area, which makes up three quarters of HLB.  That doesn’t mean, however, that one will have total solitude here.  Still, compared with the rest of HLB, we had fewer boats with which to contend.

Once we were anchored at our overnight spot, Chef Tuyen came up from the kitchen for the cooking demonstration — replacement activity for the canceled kayaking.  He’d been rhythmically chopping away in the kitchen and the product of his efforts — glass noodles, carrots, two types of mushrooms, and spring onions — were in a covered bowl.  To this he added finely chopped pork and a fresh egg … all of which he mixed together.  Then, he set a rice wrapper on a plate covered with a washcloth soaked in water — the secret to gently rehydrating the wrapper without making a mess — and showed us how to make a spring roll.  Next it was our turn to try our hand at making spring rolls.  I think the results were rigged — Mary and I were declared a tie — and received certificates with the recipe for the spring rolls as our reward.

We spent the rest of the early evening quietly enjoying our surroundings.  As the sun started to set behind the karst formations that ringed the lagoon we were in, what we thought would be our quiet oasis slowly welcomed other boats.  Luckily no one was partying, and silence reigned … broken by the occasional put-put as tenders traveled between the junks.

Dinner was another feast.  We started out with what was described as sa lát đu đủ and translated as mixed papaya salad … it was a mixture of finely chopped unripe papaya and carrots with a sweet dressing with sesame seeds.  Then came all the main courses — prawns flambéed in rice wine; stir fried clams in pineapple sauce; pork cakes wrapped in piper lolot (wild betel according to some sources; scientific name being Piper sarmentosum); countryside style grilled fish; Ha Long style squid cakes with sticky rice; stir fried vegetables; and steamed rice.  Dessert was more fresh tropical fruits.  Another excellent and very filling meal.

Afterwards, we sat at the table with Bach joining us in conversation.  By 9:00p, we were all ready for a good night’s sleep — or as good a sleep as we could get on the rock hard mattresses.

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