The Best Sunrise Of Our Lives In Ha Long Bay
Most of my life, I haven't been much of a morning person. The only thing that seems to get Aaron out of bed early is the English Premier League (which he watches live at GMT-6:00), or opening day for the Milwaukee Brewers. While I'm becoming more and more like my mom every day (early to bed, early to rise), I still don't see many sunrises. In this instance, jet lag is a blessing.
Our third morning in Vietnam found us up early again, so we had no problem being awake and showered by 6:20 a.m. to catch the sunrise from the top deck of the Victory Star. The sun-kissed clouds/fog/haze that blanketed the islands in the bay was an absolutely memorable sight. It was the best sunrise of our life (so far). I completely understand why Ha Long Bay is listed as one of the places you must see before you die.
After the sun broke free from the horizon, it was time for a tai chi lesson, which we participated in with about four other passengers. Tai chi requires balance, flexibility, and a good memory to remember the order of the movements. I believe we succeeded in providing our instructor (who was also a server) with a good laugh.
After a very light breakfast, we were off on our next adventure: exploring Sun Sot Cave (translation: amazing cave). The locals are very entrepreneurial, and two women rowed up to the side of our boat to solicit us as we boarded the tender. They had Oreos, jewelry, and conch shells for sale. I don't think they found any takers in our group.
We took another short tender ride, and arrived at a dock outside the cave that was already busy this early in the morning. Hieu guided us up over 100 stairs, down through three cave rooms, and back up to the exit. Anyone in moderate physical condition can do this excursion, but Uniworld offers a boat ride for those who may not be up to the climb (I understand this is the case for some of the older guests).
Although the cave was discovered in the early 1900's by the French, it wasn't opened to visitors until 1999. As you move through the cave, guides point out rock formations that look like animals or buddha, and one they call "the magic finger"—a stalagmite that looks exactly like an erect penis, and is lit for dramatic effect. The guides seem to really enjoy pointing out this feature. :)
We browsed some fresh fish for sale at the dock, and then hopped on the tender to go back to the junk.
It was already time to pack our things (just a small backpack for each of us, as we'd left our larger luggage at the hotel in Hanoi). We were served brunch before departure, and then had time to fool around on the ship and take silly photos before leaving less than 24 hours after boarding.
After getting into our van, Hieu suggested stopping at a pearl farm/factory. Aaron and I were indifferent, but another guest wanted to, so we agreed. We watched technicians implant oysters, which are then transported to Ha Long Bay to grow pearls, and learned how different pearls were formed and harvested. Of course, there was then a chance to buy some pearl jewelry ... and I fell for it. I have no idea if it was a good deal or over-priced, but I'm very happy with the black pearl set in a silver pendant necklace that I purchased - it will always remind me of Ha Long Bay.
I slept for most of the bumpy ride back to Hanoi, although I woke up when we stopped at a cemetery to learn more about burial customs, and again at the same tourist trap from the day before where we bought some snack food. I really appreciated the information Hieu gave us. Traditionally, the Vietnamese bury their dead in a plain wooden coffin in very shallow graves. After the first burial, they cover the graves with flowers and burn paper money to offer riches in heaven.
We made it back to the Intercontinental Hanoi West Lake around 4:00 p.m. On arrival we needed to check back into the hotel and claim our luggage. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that during our second stay the Intercontinental was upgrading our room because of the Spire Elite status we held with IHG (they had our membership number on file because we'd stayed the earlier that week). We expected maybe a slightly larger room, or a room over the lake. We took the elevator to the top floor of the main building and opened the door to ... a suite.
We've never stayed in a hotel suite before. We only have Spire Elite status because of the travel hacking I've been doing with credit cards—we'd actually only stayed in an IHG hotel one night before this trip, and it was a free nights using points earned from the credit card. Our suite had a sitting area, a separate desk area, two balconies, a very large closet, and was frankly gigantic (it even had a vaulted ceiling). Oh, and it came with full-size toiletries, which were replaced every single day (I have a minor obsession with hotel toiletries, which I use to furnish our guest bathroom at home). We also had welcome (welcome back?) amenities of fruit and pastries.
Although we were feeling pretty lazy (and were tempted to just hang out in our suite all night), we didn't want to eat hotel food. We got a taxi to Cha Ca Thang Long, a restaurant that was recommended by a food tour operator—although I didn't end up booking a tour with him, he was kind enough to give me a list of places he frequents on tours. I think we even saw him with a small group seated behind us while we were there.
We were a bit confused when our taxi dropped us off. We didn't see a restaurant; just a storefront occupied by a few people cleaning and trimming green onions, which were scattered all over the tables, floor, and even the sidewalk outside. Our driver motioned for us to walk further, and that's when we realized that the restaurant actually operates three storefronts, numbered 19, 21, and 31. #31 is reserved for preparing onions, which are key to the dish. 19 and 21 seat diners. We were seated all alone in 19, but within a few minutes that dining room was filled as well.
The experience at this restaurant is not to be missed. They only serve one dish—the namesake of the restaurant—which is catfish grilled with green onions and dill and served with various accoutrements. A hot plate is placed at your table and lit. While it comes to temperature, you're served your bottle of beer (included in the price), and rice, shoots, herbs, fish sauce, and peanuts are assembled around you. Then the fish, scallions, and dill are thrown on the hot plate and it cooks in front of you. Our server kindly said, "I'll teach you to eat," and demonstrated how to combine the fish with the side dishes. It was quite tasty (we cleaned our plates) and was followed with a simple fruit dessert. Total cost for two diners was 300,000 VND (about $15).
After dinner, I found a convenience store to purchase a face mask and some cough drops. Both items were meant to help with my quickly developing cough, which I attributed to the exhaust from the five million motorbikes in Hanoi (my asthma may have made me more susceptible to this). We found a taxi (one of the recommended companies) to take us back to the hotel, but after a few minutes of tentative turns and what appeared to be calls to his company asking for directions, we found ourselves facing a sea of oncoming traffic, including a bus. I'm pretty sure it was a one-way street! He asked us to get out of the cab, as he had completely given up on getting us to our destination. At least we didn't have to pay for a ride to nowhere.
Suddenly, taxis from our preferred company (Taxi Group) were hard to find, so we ended up wandering through a bit of the Old Quarter night market. It was basically a giant flea market—we were not impressed. We finally found a taxi, which pulled over for us on the opposite side of a four-lane road. Using our newly-acquired Vietnamese road crossing skills, we made it to the taxi and had an uneventful ride back to the hotel, where we promptly went to sleep.
Our third morning in Vietnam found us up early again, so we had no problem being awake and showered by 6:20 a.m. to catch the sunrise from the top deck of the Victory Star. The sun-kissed clouds/fog/haze that blanketed the islands in the bay was an absolutely memorable sight. It was the best sunrise of our life (so far). I completely understand why Ha Long Bay is listed as one of the places you must see before you die.
After the sun broke free from the horizon, it was time for a tai chi lesson, which we participated in with about four other passengers. Tai chi requires balance, flexibility, and a good memory to remember the order of the movements. I believe we succeeded in providing our instructor (who was also a server) with a good laugh.
After a very light breakfast, we were off on our next adventure: exploring Sun Sot Cave (translation: amazing cave). The locals are very entrepreneurial, and two women rowed up to the side of our boat to solicit us as we boarded the tender. They had Oreos, jewelry, and conch shells for sale. I don't think they found any takers in our group.
We took another short tender ride, and arrived at a dock outside the cave that was already busy this early in the morning. Hieu guided us up over 100 stairs, down through three cave rooms, and back up to the exit. Anyone in moderate physical condition can do this excursion, but Uniworld offers a boat ride for those who may not be up to the climb (I understand this is the case for some of the older guests).
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| I'm not a talented photo editor - the lighting here was terrible |
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| the "magic finger" |
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| There's a corresponding divot in the ceiling, as if something was shooting out of the magic finger... |
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| View from the top of the cave (exit) |
We browsed some fresh fish for sale at the dock, and then hopped on the tender to go back to the junk.
It was already time to pack our things (just a small backpack for each of us, as we'd left our larger luggage at the hotel in Hanoi). We were served brunch before departure, and then had time to fool around on the ship and take silly photos before leaving less than 24 hours after boarding.
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| our captain, doing his duty |
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| I'm the king of the world! |
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| Look at my giant mast! |
I slept for most of the bumpy ride back to Hanoi, although I woke up when we stopped at a cemetery to learn more about burial customs, and again at the same tourist trap from the day before where we bought some snack food. I really appreciated the information Hieu gave us. Traditionally, the Vietnamese bury their dead in a plain wooden coffin in very shallow graves. After the first burial, they cover the graves with flowers and burn paper money to offer riches in heaven.
Over time, the mounds get overgrown, but you can still see the grave marker. After three years, they exhume the body, wash the bones, and burn the coffin and any non-bone remains as part of a ceremony.
The bones are then placed in permanent ceramic tombs in the same area as the rest of the family. This practice isn't common (or feasible) in large cities, but you'll often see this type of cemetery in the countryside.
We made it back to the Intercontinental Hanoi West Lake around 4:00 p.m. On arrival we needed to check back into the hotel and claim our luggage. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that during our second stay the Intercontinental was upgrading our room because of the Spire Elite status we held with IHG (they had our membership number on file because we'd stayed the earlier that week). We expected maybe a slightly larger room, or a room over the lake. We took the elevator to the top floor of the main building and opened the door to ... a suite.
We've never stayed in a hotel suite before. We only have Spire Elite status because of the travel hacking I've been doing with credit cards—we'd actually only stayed in an IHG hotel one night before this trip, and it was a free nights using points earned from the credit card. Our suite had a sitting area, a separate desk area, two balconies, a very large closet, and was frankly gigantic (it even had a vaulted ceiling). Oh, and it came with full-size toiletries, which were replaced every single day (I have a minor obsession with hotel toiletries, which I use to furnish our guest bathroom at home). We also had welcome (welcome back?) amenities of fruit and pastries.
Although we were feeling pretty lazy (and were tempted to just hang out in our suite all night), we didn't want to eat hotel food. We got a taxi to Cha Ca Thang Long, a restaurant that was recommended by a food tour operator—although I didn't end up booking a tour with him, he was kind enough to give me a list of places he frequents on tours. I think we even saw him with a small group seated behind us while we were there.
We were a bit confused when our taxi dropped us off. We didn't see a restaurant; just a storefront occupied by a few people cleaning and trimming green onions, which were scattered all over the tables, floor, and even the sidewalk outside. Our driver motioned for us to walk further, and that's when we realized that the restaurant actually operates three storefronts, numbered 19, 21, and 31. #31 is reserved for preparing onions, which are key to the dish. 19 and 21 seat diners. We were seated all alone in 19, but within a few minutes that dining room was filled as well.
The experience at this restaurant is not to be missed. They only serve one dish—the namesake of the restaurant—which is catfish grilled with green onions and dill and served with various accoutrements. A hot plate is placed at your table and lit. While it comes to temperature, you're served your bottle of beer (included in the price), and rice, shoots, herbs, fish sauce, and peanuts are assembled around you. Then the fish, scallions, and dill are thrown on the hot plate and it cooks in front of you. Our server kindly said, "I'll teach you to eat," and demonstrated how to combine the fish with the side dishes. It was quite tasty (we cleaned our plates) and was followed with a simple fruit dessert. Total cost for two diners was 300,000 VND (about $15).
After dinner, I found a convenience store to purchase a face mask and some cough drops. Both items were meant to help with my quickly developing cough, which I attributed to the exhaust from the five million motorbikes in Hanoi (my asthma may have made me more susceptible to this). We found a taxi (one of the recommended companies) to take us back to the hotel, but after a few minutes of tentative turns and what appeared to be calls to his company asking for directions, we found ourselves facing a sea of oncoming traffic, including a bus. I'm pretty sure it was a one-way street! He asked us to get out of the cab, as he had completely given up on getting us to our destination. At least we didn't have to pay for a ride to nowhere.
Suddenly, taxis from our preferred company (Taxi Group) were hard to find, so we ended up wandering through a bit of the Old Quarter night market. It was basically a giant flea market—we were not impressed. We finally found a taxi, which pulled over for us on the opposite side of a four-lane road. Using our newly-acquired Vietnamese road crossing skills, we made it to the taxi and had an uneventful ride back to the hotel, where we promptly went to sleep.
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