Everywhere we went and everyone we spoke to all said the same thing; if you’re going to Ha Long bay spend a bit of money and do it properly. So that’s exactly what we did! We booked a 1 night/2 day premium trip through Glory Cruises and began our bumpy 4 hour bus journey to the coast with our appropriately named guide, Happy.
Having heard so much about Ha Long and the crazy party boats and hoards of visitors I was quite sceptical of the world heritage site. Mostly I was wary that we would be just another boat load of people in a long line of tourists. I was so pleasantly surprised; the boat was comfortable and our room spacious and clean. We were with a great group of like minded people and our guide and the crew were always there trying to make the trip as special as possible. It was a small boat, with about 20 people taking part in the tour, and we were able to sail away from the other boats in the area in order to enjoy an unspoilt sunset- it was stunning while cruising through the magnificent bay.
We were also taken to explore a nearby fishing village and what was once thought to be Vietnam’s largest cave. We kayaked around the floating houses and marvelled at the graffiti dated 1945. After learning how to make traditional Vietnamese spring rolls (definitely harder than you think!) we sat down to an amazing seafood feast. We munched on prawns and crab, clams, calamari and tilapia all caught within the bay. I probably wouldn’t go so far as to say that the food was amazing but it was interesting, different and great fun.
Rambling Away 