2/11/20 Ha Long Bay

 2/11/2020

We got an early start this morning, assembling after breakfast for our day trip to Ha Long Bay.  We joyously met our “Captain” who was the coach driver.  It is a luxury coach.  Full wifi, reclining captain chairs with massage.  So very nice for our 3 hour drive to Ha Long. Crossed over a bridge and we observed the port of Haiphong and the container ships lining the terminal the country’s third most populous city and largest port

The boat was as luxurious as the coach ride, and we made one stop at a pearl refinery on the shore of the Haiphong/Halong Bay Area.  As we looked out on the water, the haze continued.

We arrived at the Ha Long launch area just in time to embark on the Jade Sail boat and get underway.  It was a very nice craft with large viewing windows from the cabin dining area.  

We cruised through the Halong bay all day, and took in the glorious sights of the karst towers piling skyward like limestone thumbs extended out of the blue green waters of the bay.  

We made a couple of stops along the way to traverse through a cave on a skiff ride, and also to kayak.  We also viewed a floating fishing village on the water where some of the locals lived , fishing and pearling.  

They served us really great meals, and I had a couple cups of Vietnamese coffee which is brought in a clear glass with a small metal cap which still had water dripping through the filter into the sweet milk layer below.  

It is no wonder that UNESCO has declared this area as one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World.  

The road we took from Hanoi was a great 175 km ride, especially in the coach of luxury, named A Class.  It was especially nice on the ride home as the fatigue of a long day set in, and it was doze inducing.  Getting back to the Paradise Center Hotel in Hanoi, I was only able to get to my room and crash after a really nice day of sightseeing.