We signed up for a 2 day 1 night trip through Ha Long Bay. Getting to the Karst islands, we had to sail through shipping lanes of the South China Sea. I was not expecting to see massive freighters in wide open ocean, but we did. There were also several ships that were dredging silt from the sea floor (to be used in making concrete was the explanation received.) As we traveled, we checked out our cabins, and the deck areas, and enjoyed the company of our fellow passengers. Then, we were served a crazy lunch. Who eats 10 courses for lunch?!? I will make an entirely separate post for the food on board the junk.
Shipping Lane South China Sea
Ha Long Bay Symbol
Ha Long Bay Junk
After lunch, we visited the Sung Sot caves, which seemed a little too touristy, but still interesting to see. The grottoes have walkways set out, and lights to feature all sorts of formations. The entrance to the caves is about 25m above the water. Just to give you a feel for the size of the cave, we probably walked about 1.5km throughout the site and didn’t see all of it. There were probably a few hundred people in the cave, and it was not crowded by any means.
Sung Sot Cave, Vietnam
Sung Sot Cave, Vietnam
We also climbed to the pagoda on top of Ti Top island. I wasn’t too keen on this little side adventure because I felt hideous from the drive still, but I did it anyway. The history of the island is kind of interesting if you’re into the nerdy stuff. On November 22, 1962, a Soviet Cosmonaut, Gherman Titov visited the island with Ho Chi Minh. In remembrance of the visit, Ho Chi Minh named the place Ti Top Island.
Top of Ti Top
View from Ti Top
The only thing missing from our Ha Long Bay adventure was blue skies for the photos. We had white washed out sky the entire time. The scenery was still amazing. We took a smaller boat through to a grotto. Apparently there are monkeys that live on the cliff walls, but we didn’t see any. We did see a little fishing village and some locals out on boats. All in all a good experience. Yay for crossing off another UNESCO site.
Throughout Vietnam, I felt like a dollar sign rather than a person, and I haven’t felt that way in any other country. But, I experienced that feeling a lot in Vietnam. It is indescribable the aggressive level of service shop keepers try to give in the hopes of making a sale because the competition is so fierce. If the neighbouring shop is selling the same thing, they have to capture every dollar they can. This deterred me from buying in the bigger cities, Hanoi and HCMC. There were a few negatives of the trip, and that was one them for sure.
The other negative was the exploitation of the environment–ie: fishing with electricity which just kills EVERYTHING, or fishing and not throwing anything back so that the juvenile fish cannot grow or reproduce, or fishing with explosives, or fishing with lights at night. (We saw almost all of those taking place, not the explosives method, but it happens.*) I did try to ask the guide, as he was fishing for tiny squid with a spot light at night, if there were limits or regulations, and he looked very puzzled that something like that could be in place.
I’m certain there has to be some sort of regulatory body, but clearly it isn’t followed. This also makes one think before booking with a company that uses these practices. We look for reputable, safe, eco-conscious companies to support, and this instance was not in line with those values. The guide caught 1 palm-sized squid that was eaten in its entirety by the crew.
*Aside from the spot light fishing, all of the other methods were observed while on the Mekong River–NOT in Ha Long Bay. And, the captain of our Mekong boat called out the people fishing with electricity, but they paid no mind.
For me, the most interesting part of the day were the stilt houses on the delta, and the different styles of housing, methods of fishing, and strategies for gardening we saw.
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