ultimatevietnamcambodia2015: Wednesday 21st October

A beautiful Halong Bay morning greeted our early start to the day. The mist was still present but visibility was good as you can see in the photos. We were tendered to a nearby floating pontoon that was supported by recycled 10 gallon plastic drums and then boarded a large "bathtub" that held the whole group. This was rowed by one man but conditions were perfectly still so it was probably not too onerous. We were rowed through a low roofed cave into a beautiful small lake that was completely surrounded by steep limestone walls with pockets of tropical vegetation clinging to the surface. This was a great place to appreciate the sounds of silence but the Vietnamese never miss an entrepreneurial chance and there was the boat lady to sell her produce. Carole bought a nacre ornament with a few integrated pearls but that was the only item worth considering. Her bottles of Dalat wine looked like they had a previous life so there was no temptation there.

After returning to the Golden Cruise boat we left our overnight mooring for a slow cruise back to the mainland. To give you an idea of the size of this vessel it is 70 metres long and 15 metres wide and is handled like a small ship in docking procedures. The scenery on this part of the voyage was quite stunning with a myriad of large and small islands punctuating the sea. The sea mist also gave a layering effect to the islands that reminded me of a collage of cutouts in 3 dimensions.

We docked at 11am and crossed the road for lunch at the cruise boat's terminal restaurant. Another tasty meal with yet another variation of the Vietnamese banquet meal. The drive to the hotel took 10 minutes and we all enjoyed a free afternoon of relaxation. Jill and I had stayed in this hotel in 2010 and it has great views of the Bay from every room. All rooms are quite spacious, some more so than others. This was a great place to relax and to prepare for a long driving day tomorrow.

7am on Halong Bay