Happy times in Ha Long Cruising Ha Long Bay is like floating through a spectacular wonderland filled with limestone islands, rock formations and caves, writes
Shane Cowlishaw.
On board the Bhaya Classic, every hour is happy hour. Well, that’s not quite true. Price-wise, happy hour is really between 4pm and 6pm, but when you’re cruising among hundreds of jagged, plummeting islands you are generally very happy.
My colleague and I are sitting top deck with a cold beer in hand as our boat chugs out into one of the jewels of Vietnam: Ha Long Bay. It’s my second time visiting the Unesco heritage site but it’s been 10 years between drinks.
Arriving at the jetty after a four-hour drive from the capital Hanoi, I’m struck by the development since my last trip. Vietnam has been on a rollercoaster ride for the past decade as it races to catch up with the rest of Asia, and the hotels dotting the Bay’s horizon illustrate this point perfectly.
I’m slightly saddened when told the buildings are largely casinos catering to the Chinese market, many of whom never even sail out on to the water.
It’s slightly unbelievable to me, that anyone would come to Ha Long Bay and not want to see what the destination is so renowned for.
Once we’ve boarded the ship and head out, the skyline quickly disappears and the natural landscape is back to what I remember, unchanged for thousands of years.
Located in the Gulf of Tonkin, about 1600 islands and inlets form a relentless backdrop of limestone pillars. It’s a cliche, of course, to say it looks like an oil painting, but that’s what comes to mind.
The islands are too steep for habitation, which lends an eerie feeling to the 43,000 hectares.
With Vietnam’s tourism industry booming, boats ply the waters, but with such a large area to explore, our vessel soon loses the traffic as we make our way deeper into the bay.
You can do a day cruise of Ha Long, but to really experience it an overnight cruise is recommended. Our cabins on the Bhaya Classic are spacious and comfortable, with a queen bed, en suite and small balcony attached. There’s even air-conditioning and believe it or not, wi-fi.
We’re told this will soon be lost though as we move deeper into the islands, and there are no complaints – it’s refreshing to be disconnected for a change.
Lunch is served, then we arrive at ‘‘Dark and Bright’’ cave: it’s adequately named because it’s pretty dim when you enter the open-ended cave, and rather bright on the other side as your eyes adjust. At the cave we can choose to take a kayak out, or hop aboard a bamboo boat and be rowed through.
Kayaking seems fun and many people choose the option, but feeling lazy we decide to go for the one that requires less effort. Being rowed amongst the limestone pillars and cliffs with only the sound of oars breaking the water is quite astonishing, as are the bats that inhabit the cave. If you’re squeamish of our nocturnal mammalian mates, then perhaps the cave is not for you.
After our boat ride, a quick dip is a welcome relief in the heat, then it’s back on board for, you guessed it, happy hour. Relaxing on top deck as the landscape slips by is one of the pleasures of this trip to Vietnam. Everything feels ancient and it’s hard for the mind to fathom how long it must have taken for Surprise Cave’s formations to develop. Despite being so busy, Surprise Cave is an impressive stop
But for guests who get bored easily there’s an array of activities to participate in.
First, before dinner, is the obligatory cooking demonstration, and I really do take away a helpful tip from this one. The class focuses on spring rolls, one of my absolute favourite things to eat, so I pay attention. When I’ve made them at home I always struggle with the delicate rice paper – too dry and it cracks, too wet and it sticks together. When the chef places a sheet of rice paper on a moist paper towel, leaving it there for a few minutes to ensure the rice paper is at the perfect consistency to work with, is a revelation.
Happy with my newfound culinary
skills, I head off to dinner, which is followed by the second activity of the night. It is a little more out-of-the-box than a cooking class. Large floodlights are switched on at the front of the boat. Soon, ripples appear on the surface of the water as tentacles slap the surface. Squid! Nets and bamboo poles are distributed and curious passengers have a go at catching them. Tonight, the squid are tricky and only a few are hauled on board. But it’s fun nonetheless, and we’re assured that the creatures will be put to use in tomorrow’s meals.
After a few more cocktails I retire to my comfy bed and let the gently rolling waves put me straight to sleep.
I wake later than I should, missing tai chi at sunrise on the deck. But a coffee and breakfast put me back in a good mood as the boat hauls in the anchor and heads to the day’s attraction.
It’s another cave, with another logical name – Surprise Cave – but this time we’re heading inside on foot. Hidden inside Bo Hon Island, we’re told this stop is the most magnificent cave in the bay. It certainly is a popular spot: cruise boats jockey for position at the dock, causing logjams and a few cries from the captains.
Once ashore, we join the queue of tourists to buy tickets and climb the steps into the grotto.
Illuminated in an array of colours, the cave is much bigger than expected and the initial narrow entranceway quickly gives way to a spacious, airy wonder. This is, apparently, how the cave got its name – from the feeling people experience after entering it.
The real attractions are the stalactites, dripping and morphing into an array of shapes only Mother Nature could have dreamed up.
Everything feels ancient and it’s hard for the mind to fathom how long it must have taken for the formations to develop. Despite being so busy, Surprise Cave is an impressive stop and the mood is light as we step back onboard.
Lunch is served and we begin our journey back to Tuan Chau Marina, chugging along peacefully.
Deciding it would be rude not to indulge in one last happy hour, we again sit on the top deck and reflect on our time in Ha Long.
There’s no doubt that things are changing, Vietnam is on a race towards the future and there’s no going back. But as the city grows and tourists embrace the country, it’s places like Ha Long Bay that will hopefully remain as timeless as the hidden stalactites of its caves.
The writer travelled to Vietnam courtesy of Air New Zealand.