I had to wake up early, around 8 am, to first figure out if I had a room for the night, and second to catch the Ha Long Bay tour bus. Right before leaving for Ha Long Bay, the front desk lady informed me I could keep my room for another night, so I left my belongings and grabbed my day pack.
Today's weather wasn't the best for visiting Ha Long Bay. The sky was cloudy and the temperature hovered around 63 F. The bus ride took about 2 - 2.5 hours to reach Ha Long Bay from Hanoi Old Quarters. We reached the harbor and were escorted onto a double decker boat. The top deck was a sun deck with deck chairs for lounging, and the lower deck housed the dining room. I stayed down in the dining room for the majority of the trip since the weather and wind weren't ideal for relaxing up top.
We had a nice, diverse seafood lunch. I ate squid, some kind of breaded fish, soursop fruit, some sort of chicken dish, shrimp, fried spring rolls, and white rice. Eating in the dining room while watching the massive limestone islands roll by was a pleasant experience. I pictured something similar to these islands when reading A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin.
Our first excursion was hiking up Ti Top Island. The hike consisted of about 400 steps, but there was a line of tourists the whole way up. The view from the top was great, even on this overcast day. After coming down the mountain, I dipped my feet in the water at the edge of the beach. The water was briskly cold. I'm sure this beach gets slammed packed with tourists on sunny days.
The next excursion was a visit to Luon Cave. There was a choice of speed boat, bamboo boat, or kayak. I chose the kayak and paddled under the cave and in and around the cove for a good 20 minutes. I wish I had more time and room to kayak. Pictures can't capture that feeling of awe and grandeur you feel when viewing these limestone islands up close in person.
Our last excursion before returning was visiting Surprise Cave. The first and second chambers had me wondering why the cave was named Surprise Cave, but the surprise came in the third chamber. This chamber was massive and had beautiful stalagmite columns.
On our return to the harbor, we had some fruit, sweet crackers, fries and local wine. After snacking, I read some on my phone on the top deck and watched the islands stroll by in the night.
After the 2 hour bus ride back, I was exhausted and tried multiple times to order food through Grab. I finally got a driver to deliver me some KFC. The chicken sandwich was decent, but the fries were basically inedible for me, as they had absolutely no salt. And I couldn't finish the fried chicken, as it was a bit greasy. I don't think I'm the biggest fan of fried chicken anymore.
Tomorrow I'm leaving Vietnam and heading to Laos.