Vietnam Travails - 4

Day 3-4: Hanoi - Ha Long Bay - Hanoi   

We had heard a lot about Ha Long Bay and it did not disappoint. Some friends had said a 'day cruise' would be good enough. But the jetty is about a 3 hour drive from Hanoi and we didn't want the vacation to be too hectic. So, we had opted for a nice overnight cruise through the emerald green waters interspersed with towering limestone island peaks, and it was good!

People who know me for long know that I am usually very tight-fisted when it comes to spending. But I make an exception to that when I am on vacation - I tend to splurge like a millionaire (well, not exactly like a millionaire, but yeah, I don't count the pennies so much). We had booked a good cruise (Halong Boutique), and on reaching the port, we were told we had been 'upgraded' to a better cruise (M'Gloria). We don't know if it was really an upgrade or they found a way to simply club passengers across two cruises into one, but we really liked our boat.

It takes about an hour on a smaller boat to reach the main cruise, and the guide spent the better part of that hour explaining to us the history of Ha Long Bay and how the locals believe that this is the place where dragons came to earth to protect the local fishermen (Ha Long means 'descending dragons'). Ha Long gets quite crowded (some 300+ boats cruising through), and they took us to Lan Ha Bay instead (slightly less crowded, only 200 boats!). 

As soon as we boarded the cruise, we were served an elaborate multi-course lunch. We had requested for vegetarian options and the chef took great care to ensure he catered to our (or rather, Anusha's) dietary restrictions. Big thumbs up! The food, the cocktail (Bailey's + banana shake, innovatively named the Dolphin) and the view - everything was amazing! Color me impressed!

 I was looking forward to a relaxed siesta post the fantastic lunch when they announced that people interested in kayaking should report to the reception! The one grouse I had with the cruise was that it was quite packed with various activities, and while they are all optional, we tend to develop acute FOMO especially having paid for the whole package, and end up trying out all that they have on offer, leaving us with very little time to simply sit and stare at the scenic views.

Now, we don't know how to swim. And I am usually scared of the sea, after a couple of not-so-pleasant experiences with scuba-diving (once in Goa when I let go of the oxygen tube from my mouth, panicked, inhaled lots of sea-water and ended up getting a lecture mid-sea from the instructor as I was coughing it out, and the other time in Bali where the boat ride to get to the dive site was so rough that I promptly deposited my entire breakfast into the sea even before I jumped into the water!). But kayaking doesn't involve getting into the water (as long as you don't lose balance), so we decided to go for it. While the group of Aussie tourists who were with us promptly took off at great speed, we were not so coordinated and ended up rowing in circles for a bit before we figured it out. But quite a relaxing experience, floating on the calm waters, watching the sun play hide and seek behind the limestone peaks.

 Once we were back on the boat, they had a Happy Hour going, and I ended up being quite happy at the end of it. It was followed by a nice dinner and a party on the boat, with Christmas songs, some games and dancing. We even got a couple of Bollywood songs played and it was a nice end to an exciting day.

The next day was a blur, as we woke up late (I wasn't too keen on the early morning Tai Chi session on the deck) and simply relaxed around the boat. An early brunch and it was time to say good-bye to our cruise. I slept through most of the way back on the bus. 

I had a small checklist of local Hanoi dishes I wanted to try, one of which was Eel soup (aka "How to Hanoi your wife" soup). Anusha absolutely refused to come along for this adventure, so I went alone for this sampling. The eels look not so appetizing, but they were quite crunchy and salty, almost like the karuvadam we have. 

Followed it up with a Banh Mi at Banh Mi 25, and then Anusha wanted to have the noodle salad again.

I was tempted too, so I ended up having the third meal of the evening. After that, we walked around Haon Kiem lake, admiring the Christmas decorations and hopefully burning some of the extra calories that I had gleefully added to my already impressive waistline.

Links if you are visiting Hanoi and want an idea of the street food:

https://hanoioldquarterguide.com/street-food-in-hanoi.html

https://www.adventuresofjellie.com/vietnam/hanoi-food-guide