We had heard a few horror stories about the junk boats on Halong bay, so upon booking our trip we wanted to be sure we was picking a descent tour. Our hostel had three different boats to choose from which all looked highly photoshop'd in the brochures that we was given to look through, however we had looked at a couple of other agencies beforehand and this seemed quite common. We had read tour reviews from the hostel and it seemed like everyone who had booked through them had enjoyed there experience. We had decided to do the full three day/two night tour which also meant that we would spending my birthday in Halong Bay. We dismissed the cheapest boat option and looked towards the medium priced and the more expensive boat tour. Around $100 separated them both. As we looked through both the brochures we decided that the medium priced junk boat 'Cristina' would be adequate and hopefully the photos of it, truly reflected it!
We set off the following day to Halong Bay. After a three hour journey we arrived at the port and set off to board the boat. Masses of junk boats filled the port and we was apprehensive to find out which boat was our own. All the junk boats are painted White and to be honest all of them look a little shabby from the outside. Ours however did look like one of the nicer boats and upon boarding it we found that it was kitted out fairly smart and our cabin was just like the photo in the brochure- It was very nice and decorated well, we was very pleased! Upon arriving on the boat we began dinner while setting sail into the bay. A variety of dishes was turned out including prawns, fish, rice, salad, spring rolls, stirfry chicken and vegetables. All of it was very tasty! Arriving in Halong bay we began to explore the cave. This cave was amazing and as you wander further into it's caverns they get more and more bigger and beautiful. The patterns in the rock and the way it was lit up show natural carvings of animals and faces, and it was great to see that rock formations within the cave are still growing and evolving with time. After the cave we enjoyed some kayaking around the bay and then back onto the boat to head towards the beach for the remaining part of the afternoon to relax. I didn't bother swimming, however Jonathan soon jumped in and then soon jumped back out again after we saw a huge jellyfish blobbing by! Back on board the boat we freshened up and then went for a cookery demonstration in how to make and roll Spring Rolls! We all rolled a couple each before they were taken away for frying by the chef for our tea! Sitting down for tea again we was laid out with another mini banquet of tasty dishes. Afterwards we could participate in squid fishing off the back of the boat; However due to the waters being a little colder it was unlikely to catch them. Because of this Jonathan brought out his rod, loaded it with shrimp and once again caught the tiniest fish he could probably find throughout the whole bay! Halong Bay is very beautiful and we continued to sail through it the following morning towards Cat Ba island. It is made up of lots of little islands that tower out of the water covered in green foliage. It is a shame that it stayed fairly overcast as you can imagine it being even more beautiful in the sunshine. Dotted in between the islands are floating houses; Amazing to see and it makes you wonder how they can live like they do!
Sailing to Cat Ba island we then began the trek. This wasn't really a trek, more like climbing a mountain. Ascending 350 metres and most of the way you was scrabbling on all fours up large muddy, slippy rocks, eventually reaching the top for a view over the national park. It was a very nice view although we are still not altogether sure it was worth the effort! Arriving back at the bottom, covered in mud, sweat with about 15 new mosquito bites, it wasn't the most ideal start to my birthday! However a chocolate ice cream later we set off to Cat Ba town for lunch. Arriving at Neptune Restaurant we were placed on a table in the middle of a Vietnamese work party! Around 100 Vietnamese men and women getting lashed off rice wine and by the looks of it, they were quite merrily on there way! Spotting us they brought over there rice wine and made us join in there celebrations! Shot after shot and then Jonathan told everyone it was my birthday. After singing Happy Birthday, they rounded on me with even more shots and then one bloke serenaded me with a Vietnamise love song, Top of his voice infront of the whole restaurant it seemed to go on for a good five minutes! Eventually escaping we made our way back to the boat to spend the afternoon on Monkey Island.
A strip of beach around 50 metres long, monkey island lives up to it's name and is home to a group of very mischievous monkeys. We spent our time walking along the golden sand and then sitting watching the monkeys enjoy terrorising the people for packets of crisps and Coca colas! Locals were also selling a variety of delicacies such as star fish and gutted snakes. Back to Cat Ba island to check into our hotel and then back to Neptunes restaurant for tea. We was so tired we decided to delay my birthday celebrations for another night, so instead we raided the local shop for chocolate and headed to the room to relax and watch a movie. The following day we boarded the junk boat and set sail back to Halong city before boarding the bus back to Hanoi. All in all, Halong Bay was a brilliant tour and amazing value for money. It was also a great way to spend my birthday! Hayls and Jonathan x