Halong Bay & Catba Island

The past few days in Halong Bay were very relaxing and serene. We had a great group of people and stunning scenery.

Our group, which now consists of nine members (Olly & Enda, James & Nick, Andy & Emma, Susan & Michele, and myself), woke up early and had light breakfast of bread and jam in our guest house.

Our guide for the next few days came and met us at the guest house. I never caught his real name, but he told us to call him Dragon. Go figure.

We took a short walk through the Old Quarter to our mini-bus, which couldn't pick us up at the guest house because traffic was too heavy at 8am to get to us.

On the mini-bus we met three other groups that would join us on our tour of Halong Bay and Catba Island. The first group was three older but very jovial French people (Gills, Chantel, and Ann Mari). The next group was an American newly wed couple (Ian & Kate). And last but not least two very interesting Indian friends from Bangalore (Suneil & Kaushal). A grand total of sixteen people.

The mini-bus ride from Hanoi east to Halong City took about three hours. Most of the time was spent sleeping and listening to music, except for one rest stop where everyone got out and ate lime flavored ice cream pops.

After arriving at the Halong City harbor, our group was led by Dragon to the docks where we boarded a Huong Hai junk boat. It was a wooden, three story boat that consisted of many twin share sleeping cabins on the first level, a dining room on the second level, and a hard top for sun bathing on the third level.


Huong Hai junk boat

The boat immediately pulled the anchor and took us out into the emerald green waters of Halong Bay. We had lunch (rice, fried vegetables, corn soup, fish, and shrimp) as the boat was puttering through the Bay and weaving around the myriad of small islands with steep rock faces and a little vegetation and floating village.


Venturing into Halong Bay


Our junk boat captain


Floating village

The first stop was at Surprise Cave. It was an absolutely massive cave hidden high inside one of the islands. It was cleverly light with different colored flood lights concealed at the base of stalactites which provided a nice ambient feel and gave the impression of walking around the moon. So surreal it felt like walking through an attraction at Disney World.


Mouth of Surprise Cave


Inside the cave

There was a superb balcony at the mouth of the cave which gave a spectacular aerial view of the bay, and a great place to sit and drink a bottle of water.

Once aboard the boat again we went to Catba Island to make a quick stop and pick up some dinner supplies before heading to a nice quiet cove for swimming.

Everyone took turns jumping off the the various levels of the boat. The French women just floated around while Gills performed graceful high dives. A few people pulled off forward flips, but I just did can-openers from the top level and tried my best to splash all the on-lookers on the boat.


Nick, Olly, & James relaxing

We then ate dinner on the boat (rice, tuna fish, fried vegetables, and pork), and settled in drinking beer. Eventually the party moved up stairs to the hard top where we rigged up a CD walkman to a small portable speaker and listened to reggae. We drank beer and played drinking games until late in the night under the stars. Enda and Michele slept on the top, but everyone else gradually went downstairs to their own sleeping cabin.

The next day we woke up about 7am, had a brief swim, and ate a light breakfast of baguettes and jam. The boat went back to Catba Island where we changed to a smaller boat and went back out into the bay.

The smaller boat took us to a small island where we got off and went for a two kilometer walk to a small village. Nick, Susan, and Ann Mari stayed in the village playing cards and relaxing while the rest of us went for a three hour hike up a mountain.

The rocky mountain trail went straight up. We made many stops because everyone was sweating profusely in the heat and humidity. I can safely say I've never sweated so much in my entire life.

At the top of the mountain we had an amazing view of the bay and a long rest to drink more water.


Aerial view of the bay

Walking down the mountain, James and I began chatting about Jack Kerouac books the 'On the Road' and 'Dharma Bums'. I told James about the character Jaffy Ryder running down a mountain screaming as he hopped from stone to stone thinking about jazz. Very similar to our own decent.

Back at the village we had a much needed big lunch in the shade and did our best to rejuvenate after the strenuous climb.

We then walked back to the small boat and went to little sand beach for swimming and sea kayaking. I was so tired I spent most of the time floating in a life saver ring, but eventually teamed up with Enda for a paddle around in a sea kayak.

The boat then took us back to Catba Island where we checked into the Catba Island Plaza Hotel. Everyone got cleaned up and then met in the lobby and hoped on a bus which took a few kilometers down the road to eat dinner.

The dinner was okay, but it got overshadowed by a variety of strange bottles resting on the bar near our table. Each bottle contained wine with different fermented animals inside. Seahawk, gecko, snake, etc. Very strange.


Fermented wines

The Indian guys (Suneil & Kaushal) with stomachs of steel surprised everyone by ordering a few different fermented wines.


The instigators: Suneil & Kaushal

After dinner everyone went walking around the town looking for a bar. We found one place with drink specials and a free pool table, but it was too hot and the pool table was not in the best condition, so James and I went walking around looking for another place.

We came across Suneil, Kaushal, Ian, and Kate sitting outside the restaurant where we had eaten dinner. They were sampling more fermented wines and convinced us to sit down and try the "Ghost Wine."


"Ghost Wine"

James and I each downed the mysterious ghost wine before we asked what it was we drank. Evidently, ghost was actually a mispronunciation of goat. Much to our disgust, it was fermented goat penis. We saw the bottle to prove it.

With the worst behind us, we decided to sample a few other wines for the fun of it. We tried honey wine, made from fermented honey comb.

Eventually other members of our group walked by, so we slyly talked them into trying the 'ghost wine'. Before the explanation was given, Nick said it tasted familiar. Kind of nutty, like walnuts. Everyone exploded in laughter.


Nick: the aftermath

We continued to try the snake and gecko wines. Each was very strong and needed a water chaser directly after.

Everyone was very tipsy and the restaurant closed on us, so we set out to find a karaoke bar to continue the fun. We asked three young local guys, who led us on a wild goose chase around town before we abandoned them and walked into a very chill bar with real rose peddles hanging from the ceiling and scattered all over the floor.


Hanging roses

We then hiked back home late at night, trying our best to find our way back to our hotel. Under normal circumstances, it would probably not be a good idea to walk back, but we had a group of eleven, so we felt quite safe.

The next day everyone woke up very hung over, ate a light breakfast, and boarded the big junk boat again for our return to Halong City.

Rain clouds began blowing in as we crossed the bay and brought very cool weather for the first time in days. Many people sat on the hard top of the boat and enjoyed the strong but cool winds until the torrential downpour came.

Suneil and Gills didn't come into the main dining cabin with everyone else, but stayed on the bow of the boat and danced jovially in the rain. Hilarious.

We arrived at the harbor after dropping anchor briefly and waiting for the rain to pass and went to a nearby restaurant for lunch.

Then we boarded the mini-bus again and drove three hours back to Hanoi. We said our goodbyes to everyone on the side of the road in the Old Quarter and got in a taxi that brought us back to our hotel.

Everyone was exhausted, but all nine of us got cleaned up and went out to eat pizza at a place called Pepperoni's. It was the first western food I'd had in a while and it tasted pretty good.

We came back to our hotel and went to sleep in an air-conditioned room. So nice.