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After the usual breakfast of a French baguette and egg, everyone was told to pack quickly as we were leaving the boat to go to our own private island. It was quite funny watching everyone struggle from the last night events but everyone soldiered on regardless!
The first stop was cliff diving and I was so so excited for this. Out of fifteen people including five Irish men, only four guys and me and Franks were up for jumping. The guys jumped off the boat first and swam to the cliff and we followed about ten minutes after. We were given shoes to "help us up the first rocks" to get onto the cliff edge. Well I'd need a whole rock climbing kit and instructor to help me up, not just some half broken, both right feet jelly shoes!
One of the boys had climbed up cutting himself a lot which was evident from the streams of blood coming down from the cliff. They had all lifted each other up one by one. With nothing to hold onto on the eight foot wall and the landing being a very rocky sea bed, I was not prepared to put my trust into the guys when I can't even lift myself.
We were truly gutted that we couldn't do the dive but I suppose everything happens for a reason. After a small swim we sulkily boarded the boat for lunch. After lunch we sailed back to the main land through the incredible rocks of Halong Bay. After a forty minute drive through the only city in the bay, creatively named Halong City, we divided into groups to board some local fishermen's boats. The locals took us another hour into the bay and then we arrived on our private island where we would be spending the night.
The tiny bay we arrived at made up the only habited part of the island and included the main open house and ten bungalows. It was beautiful with everything being hand paved in matching stones. The stones lined the walls, paths and the inside of the house and made patterns and shapes such as hearts and stars. It must have taken someone years!
After being introduced to the locals on the island, we all chilled out and had our first beer of the day (undoubtably the Irish guys tenth!) The afternoon included games of volleyball on the beach, drinking freshly made cocktails from the bar and sunbathing in the sea on inflatable mattresses. Total bliss.
Later that evening we had a meal that easily out done the previous meals we had eaten on the cruise (and that's saying something). The drinks were flowing, everyone was happy and mingling and it felt like we were a small community that had known and lived with each other for years.
It happened to be the full moon the night we stayed on the island which was a very good excuse for a celebration! Tie, our crazy tour guide (also known, due to his ridiculous resemblance, as Mr Chow) had us all put on masks, lit up head bands and crazy decorative sticks and made us all stand in single file. Even if no one had touched a drop of alcohol that day none of us would have or did know what was going on. Next thing we knew all the light in the house had gone off and we were all made to follow the chanting local boys onto the beach.
Once we had danced single file down to the beach we noticed they had started a bonfire, also some were dancing dressed as a dragon and one was playing a bongo drum. Tie then influenced us all to dance around the bonfire and join in chanting and dancing. It truly was as weird as it sounds and I'm not ashamed to say I enjoyed every bit of it! The drummer even let me have a go playing whilst my fellow crew members danced around me cheering! One of those crazy moments you kind of get lost into. And after two days on the party cruise it was clear to say that we had all completely lost it.
An hour after celebrating the full moon with the locals we were so hot from the humidity, as soon as one of the guys went into the sea for a swim we were all quick to follow. The bay was shaded by the rock of the island and meant that, unlike every where we had tried in Asia, we were able to see the plankton! It wasn't one bit as I imagined but it was just an amazing as I thought. As soon as you waved your arms under water gold specks would light up as if someone had just thrown glitter into the sea.
The rest of the evening involved swimming around marvelling at the plankton, drinks in the main house and lots of dancing and singing. We played games of ping pong, darts with our the other people on the cruise and the island boys. Also they had the most beautiful dog which made the island everything you could need in a private bay!
Again the rest of the night is a blur and my next memory is waking up with me, Frankie, Shona and Rachel all asleep on one long mattress. We left the door wide open, only for another girl to tell us there was a small but still significant snake outside our hut that morning! Technically alive but feeling about 20% human, we all made our way to breakfast and then shortly after had to leave our amazing private island and head back to civilisation.
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