I've learned when booking package tours that you can never predict who you will end up with. With that thought in mind I was neither surprised nor disappointed when I found myself on a bus for Ha Long City with six couples (four German and two Malaysian). After a three hour busride, spent mostly passed out in my seat, we arrived at the dock and boarded our double decker pleasure boat for three nights and two days in Ha Long Bay.

Part of a formidle armada of similar tourist boats we set out into the liquid labarynth formed by Ha Long Bay's 3000 islands and islets. Beers in one hand and cameras in the other our group attempted to capture the scenic vistas that lay on every side of us. You could have pointed your lens in almost any direction you pleased and the results would have been amazing.

We made our first landfall in the afternoon on an island in the center of the bay. We toured picturesque caves and grottoes formed by nature and time. Of course some not so natural colored lights had been added just for effect. Many of the visitors stopped for a good chuckle and a few photos of the large, protruding stone phallus which was the reason for the nickname 'Surprising Cave'.

Back on the boat we dropped anchor and went for a swim. Jumping from the top deck of our boat I forgot we were floating on the ocean rather than some massive lake. I was reminded of this fact by the salt water which rushed into my nose and mouth. Besides the high salt content, the water was really pleasant. Afterwards I showered in my own private cabin (one perk of being the 13th member of the tour), ate dinner, and joined everyone up above for some drinking and stargazing. The Germans had a good laugh comparing the alcohol content of our local brews to apple juice, but I can admit that after a few I had trouble not falling off the boat as I made my way to bed.

Now I don't mind travelling alone (to paraphrase Leo in 'The Beach': "If thats the way it's got to be, fuck it, that's the way it's got to be") but the romance factor of our night spent on the water was definately lost on me. Instead I helped the crew fire the generator back up so we could watch the Manchester United-Manchester City match down in the kitchen.

The next morning we were up at 7:00am and by 9:00am we had landed on Cat Ba, the largest and most inhabited island in the bay. Thankfully our tour was joined by three brits (two men and a woman). It wasn't that I minded the rest of our and group and in fact most were fluent in English. I was just glad to see the couples/single people balance tip a little in my favor.

Our newly enlarged group took in expansive rice paddies and grazing water buffaloes as we made our way through Viet Hai commune and up a mountain trail. It wasn't the most brutal trekking I've ever done but I did regret my decision to wear sandals. The view from the top was well worth it though and provided more excellent photo opportunities. Even from the peak I couldn't see where the islands ended and open ocean began. They cover a truly vast area. Unfortunately our tour didn't include a helicopter ride down from the summit. Joined by the three brits (Paul, Barry, Loraine) I slipped and slid my way down the rocky terrain. A tropical shower turned the path into a slick, muddy waterslide. The silver lining of that was that it didn't happen on the way up.


Wet, dirty, uncomfortable, and considerably behind the rest of our group, we finally made it back down to Viet Hai commune. Our timing seemed perfect as lunch was laid out not more than a minute after we sat down. Only later were we informed that they had waited a half hour for us to show up before serving the food. This proved to be a setback for English/German relations as those members of our group gave the cold shoulder treatment the rest of the afternoon.

Next on the agenda was kayaking. While I could really have used a shower I wasn't about to pass up the chance to explore some of the islands up close. Unfortunately they wouldn't let me take a solo ride in the two seater kayaks and since I was the odd man out my only viable partner was our guide Thgy. He was an excellent guy and informative companion but not much of a rower. As the French might have said after getting kicked out of Vietnam, "C'est la vie". We actually managed to cover some decent ground (water) before our alotted 45 minutes expired.

Back at Cat Ba Hotel I showered up then watched the one channel on the TV while waiting for dinner time to roll around. It was a two minute busride into town where we chowed down and cruised the main drag. With about an equal number of travellers to locals walking the strip it seems Cat Ba is on the brink of a tourist explosion. The bars, hotels, and restaurants popping up in every direction are sure signs of an expected infux of visitors. Better come before it's over run. Between the bushwacking and the beers I was pretty beat (but still capable up making idiotic alliterations) and fell asleep before 11:00pm.

The next morning we stopped for a last swim in the warm, emerald waters before heading back to Ha Long city flanked by the rest of the tourist fleet. As luck would have it, ours was the first tour to include lunch at a luxury resort being constructed on the mainland. Peering out the windows of our bus at the five star bungaloes, most on board figured we were lost and asking for directions. Much to our surprise we were dropped off and ushered into a large, breezy dining room. The meal was fantastic but to do credit to our cooks on the boat and in the hotel, it was on a par with anything they made. The food alone was worth the $45 price of admission. Knowing I'll be 'slumming it' for most of this trip, I absorbed the decadent atmosphere as much as possible before we headed back to Hanoi.

We were dropped back in town a little later than the scheduled 4:00pm but I didn't mind. Besides finding a 6$ hotel room I didn't accomplish a whole lot last night. My major purchase of the evening was a Rolex. Being that I'm travelling around South-East Asia sleeping in 6$ hotel rooms you can probably wager a pretty good guess as to the authenticity of my new timepiece. I could care less really. It looks slick and keeps excellent time (at least so far). As the talented Mr.Ripley admitted, "I'd rather be a fake somebody than a real nobody". Well for 15 dollars I'd rather have a fake Rolex than a real Timex.
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*The images accompanying this entry are not my own. Having burned my digital shots from Ha Long Bay onto CD, I unwisely labeled the disc with a fine tip felt pen. The sharp point pressed through the top layer of the CD just enough to scratch the data track and effectively erase all of my images. I only made this mistake once and the rest of the photographs from my trip are all originals taken by me. To add some substance to this entry I borrowed a few images from this informative site: Visual Tour of Ha Long Bay. The lesson I've learned: use a large, soft tipped felt pen and press lightly. Good advice for anyone archiving information digitally.