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Well hello peeps....long time no speak! My fault, I know. I've been somewhat lost in a world of no technology for the past 3 weeks so there's def a little backlog on my blogs. Anyway, back in the land of living so here's my story of Ha Long Bay, Vietnam....enjoy... (about 22 days ago..)
So after a pretty crappy time in Hanoi, woke up looking forward to heading for the magnificent Halong Bay, with more than 3000 islands rising from the clear, emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, is a Unesco World Heritage site and one of Vietnam's natural marvels. Some even class Halong Bay as the world's 8th Natural Wonder of the World!
But before the 4 hour bus journey took place, stopped off at a local restuarant for breakfast. This isn't just any restuarant....this place is KOTO. It stands for 'Know One, Teach One", reflecting owner Jimmy Pham's philosophy of mentoring. The Australian moved to Vietnam at a very young age and later returned to Oz, but after witnessing such poverty and children on the streets, he felt the need to return to help. And he did, by opening KOTO. Koto allows homeless children, deprived children, beaten children etc learn the art of cuisine as chefs, waitresses, waitors, managers and so on. He trains them, gives them a place to stay and hopefully by the time they are in their late teens, early 20's they now have the ability, pride and determination to take their skills elsewhere. Whats also so great about KOTO is that it's a non-profit organisation so it's basically run solely on donations from the customers.
So after a fab breakfast (and a few million dong later after donations) it was time to head for my boat that i would spent the night on in Halong Bay....woohoo. After about 15 happy house stops (toilet) and a few near death experiences caused by the bus driver, i was standing at the foot of Halong Bay. Thousands, upon thousands of junk boats sat in the harbour in front of me. They'r exactly as i imagined, brown wooden exterior, dragon heads at the bow and the most unbelievable round sails...yip, i was def jumping onto a pirate ship for the night...how exciting!
As everyone climbs aboard for the next 24 hours, we'r escorted to our rooms. There were 12 people on my boat which was perfect, not too many and not to less! Next my favourite time of the day...time to eat. We were served with tiger prawns, squid, crab, beef, pork, chicken, noodles, rice & spices....honestly enough to feed the 5000! As we set off for the mystical islands, we were given the background of Halong Bay...which i'm sure most of you know....Ha Long means "where the dragon descends into the sea" and legend says that that the islands were created by a dragon that lived in the mountains. As it ran towards the coast, it's flailing tail gouged out valleys & crevasses: as it plunged into the sea, the areas dug up by it's tail became filled with water, leaving only bits of high land visible.
After cruising through some of the thousands of limestones karsts it was time to explore caves with incredible formations of stalactites & stalagmites. It was pretty amazing to see inside these massive caves that at once had been completely filled with water. You can still see the water marks and bubbles on the ceilings from thousands of years ago.
Back on board it was time for a swim. After being enclosed in a cave for a few hours it was definately time to cool off! We had a competition to see who could make the best descend of the boat...as we were about 4 metres from the water... and i have to say, mine was the best by far but caught on camera there was nothing but a big bubble of water after i splashed under the surface. Oh well! But i do have a fantastic action shot of Rebecca's fearful jump...!
As dusk approached. it was time to chill on the roof terrace of the boat for our tranquil night ahead on board. As the sun started to set, the thousands of boats all around anchored for the night. What an amazing view...sun setting over the islands ahead, calm waters with the reflections of each boats lights anmd the distant laughter of other tourists on their surrounding boats. A few beers and lots of laughs later it was time for dinner....more fish..... more prawns, more crab, more squid....yum! After another fantastic spread, everyone retired to the top of the boat once again to chill on the calm waters.....ah....bliss!
Was early awakened by the sounds of the engines revving up next morning. It was sunrise...time to head back to land. Wasn't the best morning, the rain clouds were setting in thick and heavy. Not like the day before when the sun had been as clear as the sea. The smooth journey we'd had they day before, certainly wasn't to be had this morning. Was refreshing though to hear the waves crash against the boat, swaying from side to side.
2 hours later and we were back on land.... my trip to Halong Bay was over. Short and sweet. The most picturesque views i'd seen yet, a relaxing night on a junk boat, and met some really cool people too! Next stop Hue.....
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