Day 16 – October 3 – Hanoi - Halong Bay

Our experience today has been completely different from that of yesterday. All positive. We checked out, got to Handspan and our van was perfectly on time. Besides Robin and me, we had to Spaniards, an Italian and a Scot. All perfectly nice people, all slept for the two hour ride. Perfect. The only interesting aspect was the beginning where the Handspan coordinator gave us a discussion on history and life in Vietnam, in general, and Hanoi, in particular. There were several interesting remarks, particularly her repeated insistence on the desire for the Vietnamese to look forward, not into the past, since their future was bright. Then she pointed to the Dragon Bridge outside of Hanoi which remains un-renovated since its bombing in the Vietnam War as a symbol of American and foreign aggression. Okay, fine. Keep going. Then she asked us all our names, our hometowns, and the thing we have been most impressed by in Vietnam. I’ll start. I’m Kevin, from California, and I am most impressed by your ability to operate without a coherent transportation strategy on your congested motorways. Next. I’m Robin, from Minnesota, and I am most impressed by the sheer volume of scooters in your cities. We literally cannot think for all the honking. The coordinator: “Thank you for your appreciation for our great country.” Nope, don’t think you got it, but we’ll just be moving on. Then, the finale. “Robin and Kevin,” she asked, “do you feel bad about coming to Vietnam? Did you worry about coming here?” Umm. We looked at each other, a little puzzled by the directness of the question. Obviously, the recent history of Vietnam was clear to us, and we know there are conflicting feelings among the populaces of both countries: desires to progress beyond the conflict, enduring animosity, feelings of guilt and sorrow. Being of the generation immediately after the war, my feelings are shaped by those from the previous generation I speak with about the conflict. That and Forrest Gump. My desire is to learn more about the country and its people, which is why I came to Vietnam. Our tour does not visit sites only related to the War, although the Hanoi Hilton and the Cu Chi tunnels in Saigon are on the itinerary, but also the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Hoi An and Halong Bay. We want to speak with the people of Vietnam beyond their war memories. How is my generation doing in Vietnam. Of course, the Handspan coordinator’s English was sub par at best, so we told her we were conflicted, obviously, but had moved on. She agreed, told us to look forward, at her people’s bright future, and enjoy ourselves. Finally on the same page, we arrived at Halong Bay.

We stepped out of the van and onto a dock with about 6 other Westerners. There was a small waiting area inside a restaurant-like room for passengers of Indochina Sails, but we were the sole remaining passengers so we made our way straight to the pier. At the end of the dock was a large thatch umbrella with “Enjoy your Trip” on it, looking deceptively like the font on an Absolut Vodka bottle. Fitting, perhaps. Our cabin on the boat, Indochina Sails I (yes, there are 3 versions of the ship, which will be of interest later), was fantastic. There are 15 cabins, usually maxing the boat out at 30 passengers, but this ship had 4 additional children staying with parents, pushing up our crew to 34 Chinese, Vietnamese, Aussies (Patricia, Camille, Carol and Tom), a Brit (Nick) and your Americans. Beds were comfortable, second level of the boat (we could open the windows without fear of waves drenching us), rain shower, good amount of space. It was awesome. Lunch was good with both of our favorites being the pumpkin soup. After lunch we explored the ship a bit before the Manager of the boat asked us, politely but firmly, to join them on the tender to go to Titop Island for some relaxing and hiking. This became a running issue with the Manager, he had to make sure we all joined for every activity at the exact same time. He needed to run the ship efficiently, so I named him Oh Captain A Captain (because he really wasn’t my captain, and OCAC for short is better). Robin and I got on the tender with OCAC only after he had someone phone our room when we were thirty seconds late. Seriously, dude, we need to grab our cameras, just chill a second. We get to Titop Island, which turns out to be an island with a tall cliff jutting vertically out of the water like all islands in Halong Bay, but this one has a steep path to the top. Of course, Robin and I want to climb the hill, but OCAC tells us to wait for him to gather everyone. Bite me, OCAC, it’s a staircase up to an observatory, where am I going to make a wrong turn? Help me! I can’t find the exit! After we shook him, the climb was peaceful and calm. The view from the various lookouts and the summit were amazing. Halong Bay is gorgeous. Breathtaking. Words cannot capture the majesty of cliffs reaching vertically from the water, covered in vivid green vines and trees. The bay has no waves whatsoever, so the cliffs are all reflected in the water as clearly as images in a mirror. Boats looked like ants from the summit, milling between large, rounded hills. The mist beyond cannot completely hide the limestone hills laying beneath, so they look like ghosts in the distance. We were both taken aback by the vista before us. Hopefully the photos can give a better impression of the view than I can.

By the time we had walked down the stairs to the beach, OCAC was gathering his cattle, herding them off to the tender. He looked at us, disapprovingly, and told us we were to get on the boat now. Whatever, this is a man-made beach, anyways, so I have no issue getting back the boat’s deck. On the boat, Robin and I parked ourselves on the outdoor lounge chairs, enjoying a relaxing snooze in the sun. It was great. Effectively, from the initial flight to Bangkok until this point, we have been running to and fro, jumping on trains, racing to airports or just trudging around towns looking for hotels, restaurants or sites. This opportunity to relax and just breathe has been so rewarding. I feel like a new man. We took photo after photo of the incredible view. I do not know how someone could get tired of looking at this calm expanse of water with great stone monuments reaching vertically towards the bright blue sky. I’m absolutely awed by this place. Then, the Chinese children. Running back and forth across the deck, screaming, pounding, falling, crying… it was mayhem. If it were not for fear of starting an international incident, I would have duct taped them to the staircase. The parents just ignored the screams coming from their offspring. Sir…sir, if you don’t quiet those brats down, I’m going to lose my mind, and you are going to lose a child to the Bay. Thankfully, OCAC came up and forced the Chinese and Vietnamese passengers to the tender for their late afternoon kayaking. See, there is a benevolent force in the universe after all.

The remaining passengers enjoyed the dying light of the sunset over the cliffs, savoring the peace and quiet. Robin and I just took photo after photo, relishing every shot. OCAC decided, you know what, during the waning rays of the sunset would be a perfect time take the tender to see a floating village. Really? Fine, I’ll go, but just because I want to go to the floating disco. There are several floating villages in Halong Bay, literally homes built on pontoons. It was fascinating to see, with lines of homes against the islands, some large, some small. There was a schoolhouse, a general store and many small rowboats cruising about trying to sell seashells and necklaces. It was quite interesting. As we made our loop around the village, the sun set, allowing the creeping darkness to envelop us completely. As the sun went down, the lights on one solitary house started to shine more brightly. I heard the tell tale sound of deep bass and tinny europop beats. Yes, it was a disco. A floating disco. And from the sounds of it, the place was damn popular. We circled the area for a few minutes longer, hoping to see some more rowboats with teenagers paddling up to the disco, but it was more dinnertime than party time, so we left.

At dinner, we invited Nick, to join us. He had been on a business trip to Bangkok and Hanoi from Manchester and decided to spend the weekend in Halong Bay. His wife was at home, most likely fuming his weekend plans. He worked for a division of Johnson and Johnson based in Irvine, so we discussed Los Angeles and California. He was hilarious, saying how he didn’t really care for LA, although they had a decent time whenever they went. He was positive about the people, about the food, well, about everything… so, what’s the issue, I asked. Damn, man, Brits need something to be upset at! Life in general, and weather in particular, is ‘shit’ in London, and I need to have something to point at and call it out. I guess LA is too easy for him. Don’t worry, there are already enough people in Los Angeles, we don’t need a couple more Brits! After dinner, Nick, Robin and I sat with the Aussies, Tom and Carol from the Sunshine Coast. They were hilarious, also, and we began buying each other drinks. It became a boisterous, loud mishmash of American and Australian accents, enough to convince the little satan children to go downstairs and watch the movie, “The Quiet American.” Ha ha, sorry, there are no quiet Americans, at least not on this boat!

It was a fantastic day, and I can only imagine tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow it is just the four Aussies and us. Try giving us orders tomorrow, cause we aren’t going to listen.