Halong Bay was not the experience we were hoping for. We were hoping, as you know, for sunshine and relaxation on a boat sailing through the beautiful islands.
We got sunshine for about 2 minutes in three days and relaxation on the boat was non-existent! Firstly, there was chaos at the harbour with our ‘guide’ running around everywhere and refusing to tell us where our boat was because he was too busy chatting on his mobile. We finally got on the boat and it wasn’t the grand vessel we were promised but the bed was bed-bug free so we didn’t complain! After sailing through the mist trying to see the cliffs and visiting some caves it was time for dinner where they attempted to seperate John and I (they advertise it as a romantic night on a boat - I can’t see how when they try to get you to sit on seperate tables!)
The next day started with kayaking at 6am, it wasn’t as fun as the last Kayaking adventure we had but it was a crisp morning and certainly woke us up ready for some hiking in Cat Ba National Park… in the hammering down rain! Most people opted out of this but we were brave little soldiers and climed a 100m cliff in the mud and the rain to get to the top to see the view (the guide wasn’t impressed with us but serves him right for being so rude in the begining). Despite the rain and the mist the view was very rewarding and we were glad we went up.
We were even more glad when we got to the hotel. It was much nicer that the places we’ve been staying and since it was raining so badly we decided to stay in bed and watch films - finally, we got the relaxation we were hoping for!
By: Traveler Aimee