Events of 6-Feb-2013
After a good night’s sleep, I awoke early to a very dull day. Early morning tea was available followed by Tai Chi on the Sundeck. I had the tea but passed on the Tai Chi. The boat moved to the Surprise Cave Location where the 2-night passengers transferred to the Day Boat. At 7.45 a.m. the 2-night couple and I had an early cooked breakfast, prior to transferring by tender to the Day Boat. We shared the Day Boat with a family of three from Toronto who were also on the 2-night trip, but based on another Hotel Boat (the tour company operates a number of similar Hotel Boats). The Day Boat was a smaller version of the main boat without bedrooms but with a similar standard of fittings and service.
The Boat Manager, Dai, and his staff made the six of us welcome and we cruised to parts of Halong Bay inaccessible to the larger boats. We moored a few hundred yards (oh, alright, metres) from another Bat Cave and here there was no choice of transport, it was kayak or not go. We used four kayaks (which I’d not previously noticed had been towed in a line by the Day Boat, together with a rowing boat which, tied alongside the Day Boat, served as a landing stage to assist us in getting into the kayaks).
I was in the front of one kayak with Dai in the back. I’d taken his advice to wear a swimming costume and leave outer wear and shoes on the Day Boat to keep dry. Inevitably, each time one blade of the paddle is raised from the water so that the other blade can enter the water, water drips onto the paddler. I tied my camera case to my lifejacket and that got a little damp but the camera was unharmed. I found that I enjoyed the experience as much as I had all those years ago. As we approached to dark entrance to a short tunnel forming the first Bat Cave, I was surprised at the strength of the current flowing towards us which made steering difficult. But we all got through successfully, entering a large lagoon embraced by tall crags on all sides.
As we carried on, the water became shallower but Dai said that we should be able to pass through a second tunnel. The channel seemed very narrow and a rock outcrop near the middle made it harder. The current was difficult to counteract and we occasionally scraped on a very shallow bottom. Dai and I got through as the first boat and waited for the others. After a short wait, all the kayaks were in the second lagoon and we stayed for a while, enjoying the tranquility where only the occasional cry of a bird could be heard. Although the current was strong passing through the Bat Cave, once in the lagoon the kayak just remained in place without any effort needed to hold a position.
Dai said that the water level would still be falling so we should make out way back again. By the time we got to the cave entrance, more kayaks from a different boat were trying to enter the second lagoon and were having some problems. One guy clambered out of his boat into the water to haul the hull over the high spot whilst the girl with him paddled. When the passage was clear, we just managed to get through.
There was similar fun at the other tunnel and Dai got out of the kayak to make sure everyone got through. On the last stretch back to the Boat, I got a little stuck not on rocks but on a reasonably flat sandy bottom not realising just how shallow the water had become. A little judicious pushing on the bottom with the paddle got us free without leaving the kayak. We returned to the Day Boat safely after what I found an exhilarating experience. The boat was equipped with two shower rooms so after a hot shower and with dry clothes waiting, I was soon revived from my exertions.
The boat next cruised to Cua Van. This is a fishing village set in an inlet well-protected by nature by high cliffs and rock outcrops on the seaward side from the devastation of the annual typhoons.
Protected it may be, but there is precious little land so the 600 residents live in wooden houses set on bamboo rafts, made buoyant by massive blocks of polystyrene wrapped in blue plastic sheet which are secured underneath the raft. A few posh people are able to afford large moulded plastic drums, also blue in colour, as buoyancy aids for their rafts. Special rafts, like those for the school, also used plastic drums. There was one large raft which appeared to be a water bus station.
We were told that there were three televisions in the village. Mobile ‘phones, however, appeared to be much more common and eventually I spotted a tall antenna mast on a nearby rocky islet which appears to bring this 21st century necessity (?) to this otherwise rather remote village. Life goes on generally at a fairly relaxed pace and a number of hammocks were in use by relaxing residents. There were a few larger deep-sea fishing boats with long bamboo booms which extend out from the boat and presumably support huge nets for drift fishing. A number of these vessels were festooned with electric lights presumably for night fishing. I’d seen similar arrangements on my first trip to Vietnam at My Tho. I was fascinated by one large rowing boat fitted with engines – a couple of elderly ‘one-pot’ diesels mounted on deck each with a gearbox driving a long propeller shaft which could be lowered into the water.
After this fascinating tour, we returned to the Day Boat and got under way. Whereas our main boat had an electric anchor winch and anchor chain, the smaller Day Boat had a wooden windlass and anchor rope. It took Dai and a member of crew some effort to raise the anchor. When a ‘knot’ in the anchor rope appeared through the hawse pipe, they knew the anchor was properly raised (on the main boat scarlet spray paint on the chain served the same purpose).
After some time relaxing on deck (by this time the day was pleasantly warm) a splendid, multicourse meal was served. A little spicy for me and I’m not a fan of squid but, nontheless, a most enjoyable meal. We spent another spell relaxing on the sundeck before arriving at another ‘floating island’ – this time a cultured pearl factory operated by Vinapearl. There were already two tourist boats tied up at the dock, so we moored in clear water and were ferried to the island by our rowing boat.
There was a small museum and an area where the various types of oyster are grown, suspended in the sea. This was followed by a demonstration showing the ‘micro-surgery’ needed to induce the oyster to produce a pearl. Sadly, my camera battery gave up at this point. Finally, we looked at a large showroom of finished products before being ferried back to our waiting Day Boat. The Day Boat then rendezvoused with our Hotel Boat and we were collected by the ship’s tender. The day finished with another fine meal on our Hotel Boat – this time a buffet dinner.
Once again, I was totally exhausted and went to bed fairly early after a most enjoyable and varied day.
Photographs
Halong Bay - Day 2.
[Revised 28-Feb-2013]
Thursday, 7 February 2013
Halong Bay - Day 2
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