I’ve been almost a week in Vietnam. Time flies here amazingly fast. The first few days I have (following separate post) spent in Hanoi and took part in a three-day tour to Ha Long Bay from here. Originally I thought once that to do on your own, but it has been shown that this is so is not provided. Although feasible, but very inconvenient. Most visitors book a tour and so I mean almost all staying in Hanoi. Every day several buses go the route to Ha Long and ship us tourists from one place to another. Very often a 2-day tour with an overnight stay. However, I am two nights stayed as me but seemed quite short.
The tour is something special, because you can stay on boats and are not bad. My bathroom was better than in all accommodation, which I had so far in Asia. But Accordingly, the trip comes at a price (about 200 euros for two nights incl. Everything except drinks). In Ha Long itself is kept no longer than 10 minutes, because it is already there, nothing to see. Instead, it goes straight to the boats, followed by a good lunch. In the afternoon start the tours.
First we drove to Thien Cung cave, which is very nice and also colorfully lit. They can, of course, “funky” look, but it would be natural but without lighting or with normal light was. The cave is extremely full, since stop all boats. A long line moves slowly through the entire cave. But the cave itself is truly spectacular. It’s amazing what huge caves hidden among the rocks and leads into a tiny hole that is hard to find (for tourism two further inputs have now been created).
Later we paddled kayaks with through the area and have visited a floating fishing village. The village was very small and hardly recognizable as a village, because the floating houses are quite far apart. The paddling was a pleasant change and would have been even better if the Japanese in my Kayak could control 😉 Next time I sit down the same backwards.
The first day ended with a good dinner on the boat and although the tour guide has repeatedly announced “Dancing and Singing”, which nobody wanted. So the karaoke facilities remained unused. Instead, I sat for a long time in the evening with the guide in the lounge and learn a lot from him and about life as a tour guide in Vietnam. Ever since he was very sympathetic to me. But I had already admired throughout the day, as constant, he has repeatedly informed all, what is next, what to bring, like the rest of the day looks like, how long we have to wait, if necessary, etc. Sounds normal? Is it in Asia and certainly not in Vietnam fortiori. These are things to be learned and many guides are poorly trained. So, Chuong is a good guy! Surprisingly, however, that the next day, two Americans have constantly nagged at him and thought the Guide would be impossible was. As different opinions can be when you experience different situations and then stiffened in problems that you have created yourself (who comes up with the idea to take your own beer into the restaurant ?! Who needs 20 minutes to decide whether Trekking or biking is better and then opts for one’s to a few minutes later Relocate decide again?). Anyway, I now have a better idea of who the 2% of the people who find absolutely atrocious a Trip Advisor top-rated hotel or tour.
I have not spent more on the boat The second night, because it has been found that the 2-night tours are not really 2-night tours, but somehow zusammengefriemelte 1-day tours. So you have after the first night from the boat out, then makes his tours, dragging the luggage from one place to another and sometime in the evening you will be taken to another boat. That was not my understanding of a 2-nights-on-the-boat tour. On the first day I’ve seen how it works, as for dinner suddenly three new people on the boat were that were not integrated into the group. Obviously, there’s 2-night tours in the Beside season in practice, but the guide has already offered on its own initiative, to accommodate me on the second night in a 4-star resort. That was actually a good decision.
In the morning we were in the Cat Ba National Park Iceland. A group is driven bicycle (4 km on a street at any cave – that did not sound promising to me) and I climbed on one of the rocks. The view from up there was really great. At first, only five other people were there, but a few minutes later it was really crowded. Suddenly 30-40 people were there on a very small room and I watched, there to get away again.
After that we were able to check into the resort and there was a really good lunch. I’ve taken two Canadians to me that belonged to my tour: Bill and Ernie. The two are now one of my favorite acquaintances that trip. Both go to the 50 years old and for 6 months. They also write their own blog, but there’s nothing there to be seen, as they were prior to Vietnam only in China and they could there on their own blog not access because Blogspot in China is frozen and they also do not have much desire to write 😉
In the afternoon we started to Monkey Iceland – yes, there were times to see monkeys again. Only they did not show so right and we are first risen to the highest point of the island (quite difficult, but again good views). When we got down again, were already the first monkeys there and drank cans of beer. Over time it became more and more (maybe 10 monkeys) and the more tourists standing around them and provided them with alcohol and veralberten, the more aggressive the monkeys were and have a couple of people chased and wanted to steal their stuff. Aggressive alcoholic monkeys? Since man has done a great job.
In the evening there was the hotel again a great menu (with Bill & Ernie). As for the food, I could really get used to 4 star resorts! However, the rest is not so much better that it would justify the four to five times the price.