Grand Adventure 2017 Day 12: Ha-long Drive to Paradise
For each stop on the trip, there’s one tour or destination that we had in mind as a driving force for why we chose to go to that country. Today is that sort of day in Vietnam. One of the places both Jenn and I have always wanted to visit is Halong Bay. We booked a group tour (more on that in a bit) to take us from Hanoi to Halong Bay which is 186kms away or 111 miles from our hotel.
We woke up early and went down to the lobby for our included breakfast here at the JW Marriott in Hanoi. It was a little before 8 AM and we were the only ones there. The spread for breakfast was incredible. Tons of different options. Sadly we were tight on time so Jenn had some light pastries and I had a salad with deli meats. A few minutes before 8 AM we walked down to the lobby where our tour guide Thang was waiting for us to take us to Halong Bay.
When we booked this tour over the summer we booked what they called a VIP tour which was up to 10 people (instead of the other package with 20-30) and more time in Halong Bay. When they picked us up we boarded a small van (that would fit a maximum of six people including the driver and tour guide) and were off. We weren't sure if we were going to meet up with a bigger bus (given our hotel is outside of Hanoi) or what had happened. It wasn't until the half-way point of the 4-hour drive to Halong Bay that we realized it was just the two of us on the tour.
I'll be honest we were a little nervous at the start of this tour. It was just so different then both of us had pictured the onset of this tour to be. We expected a big bus and a lot of tourists. Instead, we got a lot of rain and one of the most talkative tour guides we've ever had. Luckily by half-way through the drive, we got out at a set spot where all other Halong Bay tours stop to stretch our legs and grab a coffee. The last two hours of the drive were more pleasant as Jenn closed her eyes and I listened to podcasts.
When we arrived in Halong Bay after four brutal hours of driving 40 mph the day just flipped. The weather was beautiful. The skies were clear, the sun was out, and we had an entire boat for just Jenn, myself, the tour guide, and the three boat staff. We felt like royalty. Jenn and I have had some pretty amazing experiences in our life but never have we had an entire boat to ourselves for five hours. We sat down at first for a multi-course Vietnamese meal that included corn soup, fresh prawns (with eyes and all), fries, crab cakes, fried fish, spring rolls, squid, more fish, white rice, and cooked lettuce. For dessert, they had fresh bananas. It was a ton of food (way too much) and I know they were bummed we didn't finish everything but it was a ton of food.
We spent the next hour or so sitting at our table enjoying the view and also going on deck and taking a ton of photos. Days before arriving in Hanoi the weather for today seemed dire at best. We had talked to our tour guide asking if we should change days but they urged us to stay with today and we are so glad we did. It was mild weather, with clear skies, and calm waters.
Our first of two stops was to Hang Sung Sot, also known as Surprise Cave. It's a massive cave that we spent an hour hiking through. The entire experience was pretty amazing, albeit a little humid. It was an experience that I don't think either Jenn or I was expecting to have while in Halong Bay but are glad we did.
The highlight of the tour was about thirty minutes after departing the cave was when we stopped and were taken on a private bamboo boat. Here we went to this breathtaking lagoon that was something that I thought could only exist in heaven. It was like nothing I've ever seen before. When we entered the lagoon you could see small monkeys all over the place. They actually sold bananas where we boarded the bamboo boat but it wasn't until we were on the boat that we understood why. We went through the lagoon for about thirty minutes and I don't think our jaws ever got off of the floor during the entire time.
From there we rowed back to the boat and spent the next two hours cruising through some of the most breathtaking views either of us have ever seen. We spent the two-hours lounging on the upper deck, relaxing and taking photos and video every opportunity we got. It was one of those moments that I'll never forget. I told Jenn that I wish I could capture the feeling we both had while sitting there and enjoying the views. I wish I could bottle it up and on a random Tuesday when I wish I was anywhere but work that I could breathe in the beauty of today.
After two hours, and the sun just starting to set we made our way back to port and our car to make the long trek back to our hotel. The drive home was difficult, to say the least. Going in we had nerves and excitement. Going back to the hotel, all we wanted to do was be back. We made a pit stop about halfway through and at 8:30 PM we finally pulled into the JW Marriott Hanoi.
We got back to the room and maybe ten minutes after we had put our stuff down, Jenn fell asleep. I, however, was still hungry and ordered a club sandwich from room service. While I waited and eventually got my sandwich I watched CNN (Jake Tapper) and enjoyed a beautiful Vietnam evening. Today was one of those days that will go down in the record books for Jenn and I as a truly once in a lifetime. I don't know if we will ever be back in Halong Bay, but I'm over the moon that we were able to experience one of God's most majestic creations.
