ha long bay, vietnam

So a Hanoi recap is in the works, but Ha Long Bay deserves it's own post.  So enjoy! 

After spending a few days exploring Hanoi, we headed to Ha Long Bay for a 2 night/3 day cruise.  Ha Long Bay has been on my list of must-sees in SE Asia, so I was very excited to finally head to the water.  Growing up in a family of boat lovers, I was happy to stay on a boat and be around water for a few days.  In Phnom Penh we hardly ever get outside to do things because there just isn't the green space so spending a few days breathing in some fresh air, kayaking, and reading on the boat sounded perfect.  

We got to Ha Long Bay on Monday, December 22, in the afternoon after a 3 1/2 hour bus ride.  We loaded up our suitcases and strapped on our obnoxiously bright orange life jackets and headed to the ship.  We had some confusion with our booking company prior to arriving and ended up being upgraded to a nicer boat for free (saved almost $70 per person, Christmas miracle?  I think so!).  We stayed with the A Class Cruise Company on their Opera Boat.  It was the largest boat in their fleet with about 30 cabins and the nicest.  Even though it was the biggest, it is still VERY small compared to Carnival or Royal Caribbean cruise ships.  The first two floors were cabins while the top floor was the dining, bar, and lounge area.  There was also a rooftop with tables and lounge chairs.  We pretty much interacted and chatted with everyone on board at one point during the 3 days.  

Perhaps my favorite part of Ha Long Bay was the cold, foggy weather.  We were bundled in long sleeves, jeans, and jackets most of the time which was a great break from the humid heat of Phnom Penh.  I've never been so happy to put on socks, long pants, and a scarf in my entire life!  We also ate our weight in seafood at every meal.  The lunches and dinners were multiple course meals, and we took full advantage of "free" food.    

Heading to the boat. 

We are ready to cruise. 

Ha Long Bay.  It about takes your breath away. 

They decorated for Christmas.  This is the main door to get on board.  

After settling into our cabins and having some lunch, we were off to our first excursion which was a ride in a row boat around a beautiful inlet with caves.  We spent about an hour on the water, taking pictures and chatting.  I'm certain our little tour guide thought we were completely silly.  I think we were just so happy to be on vacation and out of a city.  The water was beautiful and the Bay itself was just as pretty as the photographs I'd seen before arriving.  We also got a chance to practice our rowing skills, but none of us were very good so we only briefly took the oars to snap a picture.  Once we returned to the boat, we attended the "sunset party" which is a party on the rooftop with free wine, fruit, and a beautiful view of the sun setting over Ha Long Bay.  Dinner was amazing and left us totally stuffed and sleepy.  We all ended up going to bed by around 10 pm, but that ended up working out well for us since we had excursions starting at 8:30 am the next morning.  Here are some pictures from our first day.

We did a tour of a little inlet in a row boat.  

Ha Long Bay is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.  

Awkward Family Photo.  Success. 

The girls with our row boat captain. 

A picture of our boat. 

Tuesday, December 23, day two of our cruise was a full day of sightseeing and kayaking.  We stayed on a small boat all day that shuttled us from place to place as we explored all that Ha Long Bay had to offer.  Our first stop was a pearl farm.  One of the best parts about traveling is the opportunity to learn new things.  I learned the entire process for cultivating pearls which was fascinating.  Pearls can take anywhere from 4-8 years to cultivate at an oyster farm.  Essentially, the oysters are opened up when they are young and a small plastic pearl is placed inside the oyster.  The oyster will then add the "pearl luster" on the outside of the plastic pearl to create the pearls we typically see in jewelry stores.  Most pearls are man-made, as real pearls are cultivated when a rock or piece of sand gets into an oyster and is then spun into a pearl (so much rarer instances).  It isn't guaranteed that the oyster will cooperate and make a pearl, only around 30% of the time is there a cultivated pearl inside an oyster.  And many of those aren't good enough quality (not symmetrical, have blemishes, etc) and will not be used for jewelry.  

No sightseeing excursion is complete without exiting through the gift shop....or in this case, through the pearl jewelry store.  I love getting a "nicer" souvenir from places I visit that are special and not something mass produced and sold in the local market.  So I treated myself to a pearl ring!  I've always loved black pearls, so I decided to buy a simple pearl ring.  There were rings in the $50-100 price bracket so I got lucky and found a beautiful ring that was completely affordable especially with the Christmas discount.  I love it, and know that when I look down at my hand next year on days when I wear it, I will think about my trip in Ha Long Bay.  Here are some pictures from the pearl farm.  

Baby oysters. 

Rows of baskets full of oysters.  

Baskets that are submerged into the water that house the oysters.

Sorting the oysters.  Prepping them to be opened and planted with a plastic pearl.   

Carefully opening the delicate oyster and planting the plastic pearl. 

My ring.  Isn't it beautiful?!

After the oyster farm, we headed to a beautiful lagoon for a few hours of kayaking.  We paddled through beautiful lagoons, saw monkeys, floated above coral and schools of tiny fish, and even went through a few caves.  The water was so still and peaceful.  Here are some pictures from our kayaking adventures. 

My kayak partner!

Leading in the front. 

The cave we paddled through to get to the largest lagoon in the Bay. 

Ally and Kathryne in the other kayak. 

Although I didn't post them, Kate-Marie and I got a little silly in the kayak.  We were making faces and pretending to nap all the while being laughed at by other guests and our guide.  But we were definitely having a good time :) 

My view.  Not too shabby huh? 

During the full day of excursions, we were on a separate, smaller boat.  After a few hours of kayaking, we were starving and heading back to the boat for some seafood lunch and a long afternoon of cards.  Our table partners (for dinners and lunches) was a retired, British couple who had been traveling since October.  They had great stories and were a lot of fun.  They even have a famous pop star niece (named Pixie Lott...look her up, she is quite famous in the UK).  The husband ended up playing cards with all day.  Apparently (according to his wife), he is quite competitive so he happily learned our game and joined in.  We spent the rest of the day sipping hot team, eating oreos, playing cards, and enjoying the scenery.

Our table on the excursion boat.  We were ready to eat at this point.  Starving from paddling for a few hours. 

On the third and final day, Wednesday, December 24, we explored a cave in the morning.  I didn't take any good photos inside the cave, but it was pretty large and had beautiful cascading formations inside it.  After returning from about an hour's worth of exploration in the cave, we packed up our suitcases and checked out of our room.  We enjoyed one last lunch and some extra time on the roof reading books and relaxing before heading back on the bus to Hanoi.  We had a full two days of Christmas Eve and Christmas activities, plus a nice stay in the Hilton so we were excited to get back.

The room Kate-Marie and I shared aboard the Opera.  

Rooftop lounging.

View of Ha Long Bay from the cave entrance. 

A picture together after seeing the cave with the Bay in the background. 

Last photo in Ha Long Bay.  

Overall, Ha Long Bay did not disappoint.  I've never been to a place quite like it in all my travels.  I would love to go back there one day and was so happy to have spend a little part of the holidays floating in Vietnam.