Day 179 Jan 30 2015 Halong Bay on Dragon Cruises

Halong Bay Tour 

overlooking Halong bay from Supprise Caves

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getting to the kayaking  spot in Halong bay

Kayaking into an enclosed bay

Day 179  Jan 30 2015  Halong Bay on Dragon Cruises

The bus for the boat tour picked us up at our hotel at 8 am.  We were then driven 179 km which took 3 ½ hours to Halong Bay.  On the way we saw our first car accident which is amazing considering how people drive here.  I am actually surprised that we don’t see an accident every few minuites.  We also passed a spot where people were squatting in the middle of the multi lane highway throwing stuff under the passing cars.  From the distance it looked like they were making some kind of attempt at repairing the road.  As we got closer we discovered they were throwing coal under the tires of passing cars and when it got crushed into the required size they scooped it up and put it back into sacks.  What a dangerous way to crush coal!  When we got to the pier Evy noticed that the sole of her shoe was getting a little lose.  As we were walking towards the boat I told David to be very careful and whatever he did do not step on mommy’s shoes.  Within 2 minutes of me telling  him to be careful he tripped on  a boat tie and stepped on the back of Evy’s shoes ripping the sole off.  We managed to borrow some tape from the crew of the boat and the shoes held together enough to do the tours.  Even though the weather is cool and gray we found Halong Bay to be very beautiful.  The first stop was at Monkey Island where we climbed 300 stairs to the top of the mountain where we took a few pictures.  On the way back down Isabel tripped and rolled down a few stairs.  She only got a little scrape on her knee.  While we were waiting to get back on the tender Isabel and I went for a walk.  As we were walking back I noticed a bad smell.  I looked down and I had what I am sure was human poop on the side of my pants and my shoes.  I did a quick rinse in the ocean but stunk until I got back to the boat where I was able to wash everything with soap and shampoo.  The next stop was at Surprise Cave.  It was a very impressive cave with what I am sure is the largest cave room I have ever been in.  The third stop of the day was kayaking, Evy and David went in one kayak and Isabel and I in the other.  We paddled through a cave that was 100 meters long that opened up into a small bay where we saw golden monkeys climbing along the side of the cliff.  After kayaking, we returned to  the main boat and ate supper followed by an unsuccessful attempt at squid fishing.