Day 17 – October 4 – Halong Bay

I slept really well last night. Maybe it was the gentle rocking of the boat, or the comfortable mattress, or even the several beers I had right before going to bed. Whatever it was, it was much appreciated. Although we haven’t had a complete dog of a hotel/hostel since we began, save that chicken/rooster debacle on the Burmese boarder, our sleep has been inconsistent, which makes a good nights sleep that much more appreciated. We bid farewell to the 1-night crew, which was most of the boat. Supposedly, yesterday while at Titop Island, the crew was unable to raise the anchor fully, so we are now effectively dragging a half-extended anchor behind us shutting out all shallow areas. Therefore, they are going to be switching us to the Indochina Sails II, supposedly “identical” to our current boat. I’m not so sure, but, hey, what is the alternative?

After breakfast we transfer to an entirely different day boat. It comprises two levels, with six lunch tables and large comfortable couches inside and a deck with six lounge chairs and two umbrellas. The sun was out in force today, with no clouds or mist like yesterday. Tom, Carol, Robin and I immediately made claim on four of the lounge chairs, moving them here or there to fully utilize the sunshine. When we booked the trip, we were primarily interested in a full day of kayaking, hopefully without a guide. We just wanted to explore the bay, paddling aimlessly and discovering hidden places on our own. With OCAC on the original Indochina Sails I with the departing crew, we had Froggy, a woman who had a distinct frog-like voice when speaking in English. She also did not speak English all that proficiently, allowing us to do what we wanted by ignoring her. It was pretty sweet. After sailing to a more remote and deserted part of Halong Bay, we all jumped into tandem kayaks, no sit-on-top like home or Luang Prabang. The six of us, along with Froggy and a porter, paddled to a small cave about 10-15 minutes from the boat. We climbed out of the kayaks, grabbed flashlights and ventured into the darkness of the Fairy Cave. It is called such due to the glittering stone stalactites hanging from the ceiling. In fact, if one knocks on a stalactite, it makes this hollow BONGGGGG. It is quite cool. In the main cavern, which was relatively large at 50 feet long by 25 feet wide, the youths of the area hold a party. They place candles everywhere, on the ground, on rocks, clinging to walls… it must be an incredible sight. The last party wasn’t too long ago because there was still confetti strewn across the ground. We wandered around for about 15 minutes, crawling through tunnels and scrambling up walls. We had a good time. After, we jumped back in the kayaks. Froggy told us we could swim around the boat if we wished, to which Robin and I decided to just kayak around for a little longer. We explored the area around the Fairy Cave, finding some hidden, secluded coastlines and beaches. We thoroughly enjoyed the quiet time to sit and reflect about the amazing trip we are fortunate enough to take.

Back onboard, we both did some diving from the boat, having a great time in the water. It was so warm, like high 70 degrees. I mean, it really was like bath water. Tom and Carol were having a difficult time asking Froggy to take a picture of them from the boat (yes, I am sure that is a strange and unique request on this type of trip), so Robin went ahead and did the photographer thing for them. We ventured on a little farther before it was time for kayaking again. By this time it was about 10:30am, and we were given free range to kayak anywhere we wanted before returning to the boat for lunch. Robin and I jumped in our first, wanted to spend as much time in the water as possible. There were three or four small beaches scattered around this part of the bay, but we wanted to paddle over to the other islands, away from our day boat. We found two cool arches to kayak through, several other beaches and islands. We slowly made our way to one of the larger beaches near the boat, the one that none of our fellow passengers decided to inhabit. We pulled the kayak onto the beach and then sat down at the waterline. The waves were small, rhythmically slapping at our feet. Throughout the trip, we have had personal time, either writing in our journals, or just sitting and looking at the changing landscapes before us. This was a very beautiful moment, and I don’t think either of us had any words which would add to it. We sat in silence, listening to the waves, to the birds, to the distant sounds of the boats… The view was spectacular, a singularly beautiful place on this planet. We could not see another human. The beach was unspoilt, probably very few tourists make it here. You know those montages in movies where an easy instrumental is playing in the background as the camera slowly pans across a deserted beach while the contemplative protagonist crosses his arms, lowers his head, and then skips a stone across the smooth, glassy water as he comes to an epiphany? That was our afternoon, except there are two protagonists, and Robin was MUCH better at skipping stones. I don’t know what is in store for me the rest of the trip, but this could definitely be the defining moment. I’m waiting to see what China and New Zealand have in store for me, also.

Back to the boat for lunch where the three groups sat at different tables. Lunch was good, noodles and fish. Very yummy. After lunch we were told that we only had about an hour to an hour and a half of time before we headed back to the large boat to meet the new group. We all decided to lounge on the upper deck, getting sun and enjoying the peace and quiet before meeting potentially more children. The atmosphere of the day boat has been worlds apart from yesterday, relaxing, quiet and free of OCAC. But it is not to last. Time to get back on the large ship.

Around 4:00pm we were back on the large boat, with exactly the same cabin as we had on Indochina Sails I. The only difference is the smell. Although there is a hint of mothball to the whole place, this boat is slightly nicer: newer wood, fresh paint and cleaner restaurant. Before the rest of the passengers embarked, we thought it would be cool to get massages. $30 for 45 minutes. Since I didn’t see anyone who remotely resembled Uncle Fester, I decided to go for it. I have now confirmed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I am not a massage guy. I like the neck and back massage, even the hand massage, but all the rest of it I could do without. And this massage, the Vietnamese girl did the Swedish kung-fu chop on my back, which was definitely not my deal. I like the digging massage. Robin, on the other hand, really likes his massages. Good for him, this is a good place to get a long, cheap massage.

About an hour after the massages the new passengers decided to come out of their cabins and join us on the deck. Two young couples, mid-30s. One couple, from Vancouver, had a 3-year old daughter, and the other couple, the wife from Vancouver and the husband from the UK but they were ex-pats in Singapore, had two sons, 4 and 2-years old. The guy from Vancouver was a triathlete and the guy from the UK worked for Credit Suisse. I was trying to do some journaling in the restaurant when the children and the CS dude came up, yelling and screaming their heads off. But, they were very cute. I started talking to the CS dude, who happened to have worked at Goldman a couple of years ago in interest rate research and strategies. Interesting conversation. Then our Aussie friend Carol came in and we all chatted for a while. We all sat upstairs on the deck to watch the sunset before dinner. After a fine dinner, Robin and I decided we wanted go squid fishing. Apparently Heather, Robin’s girlfriend, did this a couple of months ago and said that she fished for two hours, wait after everyone else had left, before catching one. So, obviously, Robin and I felt that we needed to catch a squid, too. The only problem, was that it was still the Full Moon Festival, therefore there was a full moon, and squid are attracted to light. The way to catch a squid is to sit near the light at the stern of the boat and hang a bamboo pole with a line and hook, baitless, and bob that pole up and down. Eventually, says OCAC, a squid might latch on. So Robin and I sat there, beers in hand, and fished for squid for about two hours. As we were out there, the Aussies, Carol and Tom, the four newbies from Vancouver/UK and another couple, one Egyptian the other Chinese, slowly joined our team of squishermen. The final three, the two wives and the CS guy, stayed the longest. We had a really fun conversation about life as ex-pats, Japan and Singapore. Both couples had brought baby monitors and fought argued amicably with their husbands about checking on them when there was crying. We had a lot of fun discussing investment banking and the state of the world economy. After about 2 to 3 hours, we decided that the squid fishing was not going to end successfully. We had fun chatting up our new friends and decided to go to bed. Tomorrow we bid farewell to Halong Bay.