{"id":1236,"date":"2023-10-28T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-28T05:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sarahanderictraveltheworld.com\/?p=1236"},"modified":"2024-12-10T01:26:58","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T01:26:58","slug":"wonderful-ha-long-bay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sarahanderictraveltheworld.com\/index.php\/2023\/10\/28\/wonderful-ha-long-bay\/","title":{"rendered":"Wonderful Ha Long Bay"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Activity level: \ud83c\udf36\ufe0f \ud83c\udf36\ufe0f\ud83c\udf36\ufe0f\ud83c\udf36\ufe0f\ud83c\udf36\ufe0f<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modes of transportation: \ud83d\ude8c\ud83d\udea2\ud83d\udee5\ufe0f\ud83d\udc5f<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We missed our bus slightly (our concierge told us 8:00 and they came at 7:45), but they looped back around for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We didn\u2019t get the best night\u2019s sleep because we had a snafu. Sarah thinks she saw a cockroach scurry away near her bag, and neither of us likes them very much. So we ended up sort of sleeping in fear, and leaving the lights on (and our bags closed) so they wouldn\u2019t walk too freely around the room. People have told us we\u2019d better get used to it for India, but that\u2019s a bridge we\u2019ll cross later. (Editor\u2019s note: boy do we cross that bridge in India\u2026)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It was about a 2.5 hour ride to Ha Long, and we had a guide who gave us a little history of Vietnam and Hanoi on the drive. Not all of his jokes landed (like when he said he only regretted marrying his wife a \u201clittle bit\u201d), but he was very knowledgeable and it made the ride more interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
We stopped for snacks as part of the bus ride. Coffee was much appreciated after staying up most of the night on the look out for the potential roach.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the way, one of the stops was the Ha Long Bay oyster farm, where they seed oysters and harvest pearls. They gave us a tour of the operation, even demonstrating the \u201csurgery\u201d and seed implantation in front of us. Apparently, the smaller pearls take about 1-2 years to form, with some of the larger ones taking 3-5. It was fascinating!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Pearls: reminds us of our kitten, Perl. We miss her!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We finally made it onto the boat (via a smaller boat) and we checked into our room. Lunch was ready for us, so we sat at a table with two women who turned out to be Taiwanese. We had a great lunch of fish, clams, squid, among other things (the food was fantastic), and we started to make our way into the bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The boat to the other boat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Our boat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Next, we went up to the top deck to hang out and enjoy the views while we sailed through the bay. We ended up making friends with a couple from Seattle who quit their jobs and were going a 4 month long trip through Asia (Editor’s note: their trip ended up lasting almost a year!). It was great to meet other people on the tour since there were only 14 of us on the boat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
We see why Ha Long Bay was voted as one of the new Natural Wonders of the World!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our first stop was a cave called Surprising Cave or HANG S\u00daNG SOT, which was surprisingly huge (way bigger than any of the ones we saw in Belize). It was pretty cool walking through\u2014it was fairly built up and our guide gave us a tour of the different formations and their names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The surprising cave – note the hole at the top. That\u2019s where we take the photo below.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Photos in caves are tricky.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
View from the cave\u2019s exit (seen in the above photos)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After that, they dropped us off at Titop island, where we hiked approximately 450 steps to the top and got pretty views of the bay. It was a stepmaster kind of day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
\u201cWOW\u201d – sunset at the top of the climb! We could see a 360\u00b0 view of the bay from here.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
This was the other side of the vantage point at the same time as the photo above. Also spectacular. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n