When it comes to weekend getaways, you just can’t beat flopping around on the deck of a junk in Halong bay, says Duc Hanh
Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of (Press Release) March 19, 2008 --
When it comes to weekend getaways, you just can’t beat flopping around on the deck of a junk in Halong bay, says Duc Hanh
At 11.30 am, the sun is high in the sky and burning bright. At the pier countless wooden junks, sailboats, speedboats and tiny bamboo boats bob around. While tour guides try to organise how to get their groups on board, we sit with our bags in hand, ready to test out our sea legs.
“Which one is ours?” says a fellow traveler on my tour a tad impatiently.
After a four-hour-stint in the van from Hanoi, everybody is understandably itching to kick back and feel the sea breeze on board.
Just then a speedboat arrives with a flourish and we pile on board before zooming off to the Indochina Sail, a large, handsome junk that the captain proudly announces is 40 metres long and 8.5 meters wide – and indeed it seems a fine, seaworthy vessel to me.
In my time I’ve been on board a few of the bay’s shabbier junks. It is one point worth making: when it comes to visiting Halong Bay it’s worth treating yourself. Thankfully there’s more than a few classy junks to choose from these days.
Walking around on board the Indochina Sail, I discover a restaurant, the Indochina Sail Bar, a gift shop and even a library. Guests can also avail of binoculars, snorkeling equipment or top-of-the-line Canadian made kayaks.
With a grand view ahead, I tentatively start with the binoculars. Most of my fellow travellers are content to flop around the deck, sipping drinks, surveying the scene or catching a bit of sun. A trip to Halong is first and foremost about relaxing!
Sun-shy, I stretch out on a lie-low on the more shaded lower deck and listen to the buffeting breeze and the sound of the boat chopping through the waves. Time passes and I happily doze a little in the salty air.
Afterwards, I fight the urge to have a siesta and head out onto the deck as the boat floats into Bai Tu Long Bay. We drop anchor at Soi Sim island, famed for its rose myrtle brush.The island sits in clear, blue waters and is also home to white sandy beaches.
At night in the bay is magical. A canopy of glittering stars above us, a refreshing coolness in the air – it is pure bliss just to sit around with the other travelers, your friends or partner. Conversation is optional.Traditional Vietnamese melodies hang in the air. The boat gently rocks.
When I wake the sun is already up. I hear the voices of vendors who have rowed up to our junk to sell snacks, seafood, souvenirs and cigarettes. I stumble upstairs and discover guests still there from the night before – each one chose to sleep on deck in the open air rather than spending the night in their cabin.
A smell of fresh coffee is in the air as the boat pulls away; the crew informs us of our itinerary for the morning, but all of the passengers just reply with sleepy smiles. We are already under Halong Bay’s spell. No one really minds where we go next, anyway, you can’t take a wrong turn while cruising in Halong Bay.
At 11.30 am, the sun is high in the sky and burning bright. At the pier countless wooden junks, sailboats, speedboats and tiny bamboo boats bob around. While tour guides try to organise how to get their groups on board, we sit with our bags in hand, ready to test out our sea legs.
“Which one is ours?” says a fellow traveler on my tour a tad impatiently.
After a four-hour-stint in the van from Hanoi, everybody is understandably itching to kick back and feel the sea breeze on board.
Just then a speedboat arrives with a flourish and we pile on board before zooming off to the Indochina Sail, a large, handsome junk that the captain proudly announces is 40 metres long and 8.5 meters wide – and indeed it seems a fine, seaworthy vessel to me.
In my time I’ve been on board a few of the bay’s shabbier junks. It is one point worth making: when it comes to visiting Halong Bay it’s worth treating yourself. Thankfully there’s more than a few classy junks to choose from these days.
Walking around on board the Indochina Sail, I discover a restaurant, the Indochina Sail Bar, a gift shop and even a library. Guests can also avail of binoculars, snorkeling equipment or top-of-the-line Canadian made kayaks.
With a grand view ahead, I tentatively start with the binoculars. Most of my fellow travellers are content to flop around the deck, sipping drinks, surveying the scene or catching a bit of sun. A trip to Halong is first and foremost about relaxing!
Sun-shy, I stretch out on a lie-low on the more shaded lower deck and listen to the buffeting breeze and the sound of the boat chopping through the waves. Time passes and I happily doze a little in the salty air.
Afterwards, I fight the urge to have a siesta and head out onto the deck as the boat floats into Bai Tu Long Bay. We drop anchor at Soi Sim island, famed for its rose myrtle brush.The island sits in clear, blue waters and is also home to white sandy beaches.
At night in the bay is magical. A canopy of glittering stars above us, a refreshing coolness in the air – it is pure bliss just to sit around with the other travelers, your friends or partner. Conversation is optional.Traditional Vietnamese melodies hang in the air. The boat gently rocks.
When I wake the sun is already up. I hear the voices of vendors who have rowed up to our junk to sell snacks, seafood, souvenirs and cigarettes. I stumble upstairs and discover guests still there from the night before – each one chose to sleep on deck in the open air rather than spending the night in their cabin.
A smell of fresh coffee is in the air as the boat pulls away; the crew informs us of our itinerary for the morning, but all of the passengers just reply with sleepy smiles. We are already under Halong Bay’s spell. No one really minds where we go next, anyway, you can’t take a wrong turn while cruising in Halong Bay.
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