Castaway Island

After much deliberating between the $200 2 nights 3 day castaway tour or the $60 1 night Halong Bay Tour with the loveliest Aussie girls Liv & Nat a message with from Luke & Josh's mate meant we chose the Castaway option. It was 100% not in the slightest worth the cost but we had a bloodly brilliant time because of the great group of people we met and partied with!

For $200 you got food a bed, coach to Halong Bay and boat to the private island and 3 activities; rock climbing, wake boarding and speedboat tubing (we didn't get the last activity but kayaking was available).

Our "tour guide" "K-Hole" a canadian mess could barely speak as she was ill or something, let us know "the sun is trying to come out" and other b******s and spent the whole trip wasted or passed out and letting everyone know "It's my birthday". She laid down the tour rules until we got back: 1. Buffalo- only left hand drinking-if caught out you had to down your drink 2. Duffalo-if carried on drinking with your right hand once buffaloed you had to buy and down another drink 3. Saying the words MINE or TEN meant you had to do 10 press ups. Luke loved all the above rules and made it his mission to catch everyone out for the entire trip!

The boat was pretty shabby, with stained table clothes and old wooden chopsticks. One of the benches collapsed half way through the cruise. The food was pretty basic but edible and there were lots of dishes. The alcohol on the boat wasn't over priced but I had to drink a fair bit to get drunk small measures and rumoured watered down spirits (tequila and 7up=45,000 dong= £1.30).

The top deck had great views of the misty scenery of Halong Bay, mountain and rocks poking out of the ocean. It was beautiful but the weather wasn't great. Once it started to rain the fun began, the cards came out and drinking games commenced. Spoons became chopsticks and the violence added to the fun! We got to know some of the people in the group, Jamie (Balam), Lee (north London), Elle (Geordie), couple Steph (Melbourne-Aussie)& Rob (Leigh-on-sea boy living in Melbourne Oz) and Katie & Amel (cousins from Liverpool).

We had a stop off as the sun was setting for a swim; lots of people jumped in but I allowed it as it was freezing. We arrived on the island at dark and grabbed beds in huts on the beach, 15 in each then had dinner. The group before us had set a task to dress in the opposite sex clothes and whoever won limbo won but they won drinks from us, which we all refused to pay for lol! another way not to spend any money, jammy b******s!

Got to know some of the rest of the group, Charly from Belfast pretending she couldn't speak English when Luke caught her out on Buffalo made me laugh so much and her boyfriend Jon was from Manor Park, small world!

A few key characters found group fame for being either particularly annoying, straight up crazy or a pain the ass, number one being Olly aka Elton John aka Dragon aka fire starter! Jumping on tables, smashing cans on his head, sleeping in wrong beds, hanging from the rafters. But he was pure entertainment! Then the fighting couple toe (fractured/bruised his toe coming off the boat) and Lucy; toe running around shouting Lucy for an hour and hysterically crying another night.

The activities the following day were really fun! We had 5 goes each to get up while Wake boarding, I was unsuccessful but I still had loads of fun and was so impressed when the few did get up and make it look so easy. So much pressure on your arms they ached so much. Two professional rock climbers came to the island and set up two climbs for us all to have a go on. I went first and had "Mr Personality" who gave me no advise when I was struggling and then dropped me, which made me come down as i couldn't trust the mug and scratching up my leg on the way down. He got better as lots of people made it to the top or at least half way. The vietmanese guide was much better at helping and advising and showed us how it was done at the end on the wall no one could complete, climbing it in 43 seconds.

We made lots of our own fun, Josh arranging a volleyball tournament and me helping my team loose (sorry Josh, Jamie and Steph), played a game of rounders and Josh even helping peel potatoes.

We welcomed the next lot of castaways by telling them to "f*** off", "fall", "jump" in football style chants slightly like bullying but they all took it like champs and gave it back.

Last night was ridiculously fun with Lee's perfect garage set and Elle and My creation of Vodka/Rum pong, a brutal game when the measures are huge. Obviously we lost and I ended up smashed! A birthday dirty drink (vodka, rum, whiskey, gin & Tequila) was bought for K-Hole, which ended up with her on the floor, a slight awkward moment until we were assured she was ok and then the pictures and writing on her passed out body commenced!

The $200 wasn't worth anything the tour provided but definitely worth it for the like minded people we met and the fun we had!