I had booked a two day, one night trip to Halong Bay, I knew so today was going to be quite a busy day to fit everything in. There was the option for me to stay an extra night at Monkey Island, but I had already spent $60 on the ticket and to do that would have cost an extra $30 (I had spoken to people who had been able to book their's for a bit cheaper, but I booked mine throught the hostel, which was why it cost more). The bus was supposed to get to the hostel at 8, however it was closer to half past by the time it arrived. It took a while for the bus to negotiate the Hanoi traffic, but after about half an hour we had left the city. Our tour guide went by the name 'Captain Jack' (I can't remember his real name!) who seemed to be a very cheery guy. It took about four and a half hours for us to arrive at Halong Bay, although we did stop at a service station which allowed people to go to buy some refreshments, or even some cheap tat.

Upon approaching the Bay, it is evident that money has been invested into the area to make it a tourist attraction. There are hotels everywhere (I even saw a small amusement park which had a carousel!), which seemed to take away some of the Bay's natural charm. As soon as we arrived 'Captain Jack' escorted us to our Junk and within minutes we had set sail into the Bay. Within minutes of leaving the shore I had almost forgotten everything I'd seen, and was completely blown away by the spectacular views of the Bay. Unfortunately, it was the wrong time of the visit the area and this meant that it was quite cloudy and the air was misty (so I can only imagine how beautiful it would be in the summer), plus it was quite cold (I was wearing every layer possible!). This was the time used by everyone to introduce themselves (there was only a group of ten of us so it was really quite small, and only six were backpackers), before dinner was served. The food that was served was delicious, and it was predominantly fish which tasted as though it had been freshly caught.

After lunch we made our way towards some caves, which were also fascinating. Jack led us from one cave to the next pointing out certain shapes in the walls and what they animals they resembled (though to be honest I couldn't make out most of them!). There was one particular stalagmite that was protruding at a 45 degree angle out of the wall (which no one needed telling what it looked like) and even created a few chuckles within the group! After exiting the caves we were then given the option of kayaking around the islands and also looking round floating villages, which were quite incredible.

Upon returning to the boat we made our way further into the bay before we moored for the evening. Here we had the opportunity to jump from the boat into the freezing water (unfortunately for I'd left my swimming shorts at the hostel so I couldn't take part). There were some guys who for were up for it and took the plunge (twice!). Dinner, like the other meals served to us was magnificent, and again really fresh. Unfortunately after dinner there was no entertainment, so we were just left to mingle. Many of the people who I'd already spoken to about the cruise had said that they spent a large part of the night drinking. Our group, however, was really small and several of the tourists were not the backpacker type, which meant that everyone went to bed relatively early.

The morning view of Halong Bay was exactly the same as it had been the previous day, very misty and grey skies looming over head. After breakfast, we were separated into two groups, and those who were on the three day tour were taken off the boat and taken transported away. A boat containing people who had spent the previous night there were brought to our Junk and from there we returned to shore. After that we were given half an hour to explore the surrounding area. There wasn't much to see apart from the mini amusement park (which in my opinion is completely unnecessary), which had a crocodile show and to-scale replicas of worldwide landmarks (e.g. the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal and the Arc de Triomphe). However, with this in mind I'd still say that Halong Bay was a great experience, and spending a night on the sea was something that I really enjoyed and was well worth the money.