This is our last day in Hanoi. We've used Hanoi as a 'base' for all of our VietNam excursions so far. Here is a map again. Hanoi, Nihn Bihn, Sapa, and HaLong Bay. Notice how close we were to the China Border when we were in SaPa !
It was a rainy day when we took another 2hr bus ride from Hanoi to HaLong Bay. It is a stunning seascape of over 1,600 islands and islets in northeastern VietNam's Gulf of Tonkin. Again I had no idea the magnitude of these islands!
We were 'escorted' to a boat for our Day Tour of the Bay. First up, we had lunch; and again lots of food and a buffet. This was our boat, actually impressive and classy.
First stop was another boat ride. In a larger boat ride than before, and shorter distance. We did go through a short tunnel. It wasn't as impressive as the one in Nihn Bihn, but we always manage to have fun. We're getting a bit spoiled though.
Next stop was a cave? - cavern?, not sure the appropriate word so i had to look it up: "all caverns are caves, but all caves are not caverns. Caverns are a unique type of cave with features not typical to an ordinary cave. That clears that up! If you want more: cavingdave.com/cave-vs-cavern/.
However, this one does have a name: Hang Sung Sot Cave. It was discovered in 1901 by the French. They named it “Grotte des Surprises” or the “Cave of Surprises. It is about 25 meters (75 feet) above sea level. The cave covers a staggering 10,000 square meters (that’s twice the size of the White House if that’s anything to go by). The cave is about 30 meters high and sports a 500-meter long passage (good news for any claustrophobics). It first opened in 1993, one year before Halong Bay would receive it's World Heritage site status from UNESCO.
Obviously it is inside a mountain. You will see the entrance on the left side, and the exit on the right, with people standing in both.
We were all spell-bound when we walked in.
Around the next corner it got bigger.
And there were more
We were 'gasping' at each one.
I thought it interesting that some of the tops/roofs were rather smooth, and not jagged, like the rest of it. Almost like waves
Lots of photo opportunities
There was a well lit area where you could take photos. Sometimes, Shari, our organizer and photographer, says, 'do something silly' ... of course, i complied.
Ok, one more
Us at the exit, with the bay and mountains behind us
I was shocked at the number of boats !!!!!! At one point i counted 27 ! That's a few too many.
Some compare this to the islands we cruised around for 3 days. There are many many more of these, and closer together. I tried to capture the fact that they are 3 'thick', one row right after the other. The islands around Coron Philippines, were not this plentiful. But... the water was WAY cleaner in the Philippines. This water was disgusting and sad, lots of trash floating in the water. It's unfortunate that we didn't have a better weather-day. This is my attempt to show how many islands there are.
Our next stop was at a beach. Which might have been nice if the weather had cooperated. Shari climbed to the top pagoda, but she couldn't talk the rest of us into joining her.
It did not rain on us at all, but the skies were not helpful in showing off the amazing views. Right at Sunset time, we saw this little bit of light.
We cruised back to the Harbour. It actually was an International Harbour, and there were massive ships, as well as a cruise ship, and 2 luxury yachts !
And, just to mock us, the moon came out,
Then back in the bus for the 2hr trip back to Hanoi for our last night.
The next morning we had a 1.5hr flight south to DaNang.
Stay tuned for those adventures in the next Blog.
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