When someone says Ha Long Bay, the only thing that comes to mind for me was the final scene in the movie Bourne Legacy where Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz are in a boat, transitioning from the Philippines to Vietnam's Ha Long Bay. Yup, of all the references, that's the one thing that stuck in my mind.
Just like the whole Vietnam trip, initially I wasn't gushing about the Ha Long bay trip, despite it being a UNESCO World Heritage site. My thoughts ranged from, "Eh what's to see?", "There are probably loads of tourists there that I won't even enjoy it", to "I'm scared of riding boats." But hey, after realizing that I might not be able to go back to Vietnam again, so might as well just wing it!
Before I proceed with the happenings, let's start with the basics, like where did we pay for the tours. Since me and my cousin were not sure on what day to go to Ha Long bay, we did not book a tour in advance via Klook or KK day, instead we booked our trip via the reception of our hotel.
The receptionist showed us different packages, with different kinds of activities with different price ranges. The most affordable tour costs at $30 and the most expensive is at around $100, and all those tours includes the van ride to Ha Long Bay pier and back to our hotel, the ferry ride, tour to the cave, tour to the beach, and a lunch. Our receptionist insisted that we get the $45 one, since it is better quality unlike the $30 one. Wrong move actually, because when we were already at the tour we really did not see much difference between the $30 and $45 tour, so might as well choose the cheaper one so you can save the $15 for additional shopping fund HAHAHA!
Given that's out of the bag, let's now proceed. As part of the tour, a van with a tour guide will pick you up from your hotel, so you better be at the lobby at 7 A.M. already, however the van arrived at around 8:30 A.M.but hey better than early than be left behind due to tardiness hahaha! After picking us up, the van proceeded in picking-up other tourists from different hotels around Old Quarters.
I think the distance between Old Quarters and Ha Long Bay pier is around 170KM, or equivalent to around 3 hours of drive time. If you are like me, who piss a lot, is wondering if we had a stop-over for a quick wiwi break, don't worry the Vietnamese aren't sadistic beings because halfway the 170KM we stopped by this place that has multiple bathrooms, a huuuge lot with stores selling random things and knick knacks, and random scupltures as shown above. We were given 30 minutes to go to the bathroom, and explore the place. But really, there's not much to see there to be honest, that we actually begged the driver to let us in right after we peed, in this way we can just have more sleep time hahaha!
Once we arrived at the pier, our tour guide gave us each a ticket, which we should not lose. The ticket will be punched each time you go to the different activities of the tour. So anyway, our group were led to one of these ferry boats, joining another group of tourists from another tour company.
It took us around 30 minutes to reach the first island, so what I did then was climbed the top deck, took some photos, then indulged myself with this crazy depressing book by Adam Silvera. During this period they served the lunch, which sadly don't look appetizing, so we end up skipping the food instead.
The first island we arrived to immediately tested us by giving us some cardio exercise. We climbed I think around 5 flights of stairs, only to go down another 3 flights of stairs to enter this...
YUP, CAVES! I don't know what was I thinking at that time that I wore ballet flats instead of sneakers hahahha! I suppose I was too keen on wearing my flowy dress, and figured that the sneakers will be a major clash to my OOTD! Just imagine how I hold on to the railings as I ascend descend the steps! HAHAHA! The steps were very slippery, so please don't be an idiot and wear the right pair of shoes,don't be like me.
Just like the whole Vietnam trip, initially I wasn't gushing about the Ha Long bay trip, despite it being a UNESCO World Heritage site. My thoughts ranged from, "Eh what's to see?", "There are probably loads of tourists there that I won't even enjoy it", to "I'm scared of riding boats." But hey, after realizing that I might not be able to go back to Vietnam again, so might as well just wing it!
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| If you are not like us, check this one out here |
The receptionist showed us different packages, with different kinds of activities with different price ranges. The most affordable tour costs at $30 and the most expensive is at around $100, and all those tours includes the van ride to Ha Long Bay pier and back to our hotel, the ferry ride, tour to the cave, tour to the beach, and a lunch. Our receptionist insisted that we get the $45 one, since it is better quality unlike the $30 one. Wrong move actually, because when we were already at the tour we really did not see much difference between the $30 and $45 tour, so might as well choose the cheaper one so you can save the $15 for additional shopping fund HAHAHA!
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| MORE SHOPPING! |
Given that's out of the bag, let's now proceed. As part of the tour, a van with a tour guide will pick you up from your hotel, so you better be at the lobby at 7 A.M. already, however the van arrived at around 8:30 A.M.but hey better than early than be left behind due to tardiness hahaha! After picking us up, the van proceeded in picking-up other tourists from different hotels around Old Quarters.
I think the distance between Old Quarters and Ha Long Bay pier is around 170KM, or equivalent to around 3 hours of drive time. If you are like me, who piss a lot, is wondering if we had a stop-over for a quick wiwi break, don't worry the Vietnamese aren't sadistic beings because halfway the 170KM we stopped by this place that has multiple bathrooms, a huuuge lot with stores selling random things and knick knacks, and random scupltures as shown above. We were given 30 minutes to go to the bathroom, and explore the place. But really, there's not much to see there to be honest, that we actually begged the driver to let us in right after we peed, in this way we can just have more sleep time hahaha!
Once we arrived at the pier, our tour guide gave us each a ticket, which we should not lose. The ticket will be punched each time you go to the different activities of the tour. So anyway, our group were led to one of these ferry boats, joining another group of tourists from another tour company.
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| The perfect soundtrack to this trip hahaha! |
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| The same book I took with me in Fukuoka, because I haven't even read one page off it during that trip hahaha! |
YUP, CAVES! I don't know what was I thinking at that time that I wore ballet flats instead of sneakers hahahha! I suppose I was too keen on wearing my flowy dress, and figured that the sneakers will be a major clash to my OOTD! Just imagine how I hold on to the railings as I ascend descend the steps! HAHAHA! The steps were very slippery, so please don't be an idiot and wear the right pair of shoes,
After the steep steps of the cave, our next destination is another island where we have to option to kayak, or ride a boat with 10 others in it. By the looks of our get-up, clearly we are not meant for the kayak life.
This one's a quick one, approximately around 10 minutes, with 2 minutes exposure to these monkeys.
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| See, I'm wearing flats at the beach! HAHAHHA! *facepalm x3798424* |
To enjoy the last island in the itinerary you are given 2 options: lazily hang out at the beach, or climb the top of the mountain, both options with only 30 minutes to enjoy! Since we are not fast climbers, we decided to stay at the beach, and watch other tourists enjoy the beach. To be frank, the beach is sub-par compared to the ones we have in The Philippines (check out Capones island, you're welcome), so it never sparked feelings of regret for not bringing along some swimming attire.
By around 4 P.M. we sailed back to the pier, and geared ourselves for another 3 hours of drive time.
So before I end this post, let me share some things about this tour:
1. Wear appropriate attire, and yes that includes the right pair of shoes. To be honest, the best kind of pair that I think would be perfect for this trip are crocs. Ok, not the ugly big ones, but there are some models that are light, but will definitely be your best friend for the slippery steps.
2. If you are a picky eater, I suggest that you bring a long some snacks with you. The lunch provided doesn't look appetizing, that I ended up finishing the pack of mochi that I brought along. Also, bring some drinks because the prices of the drinks sold at the ferry were exorbitantly hiiiigh!
3. Better think twice about wearing a hat while at the top deck. During this trip I saw a little kid whose hat flew away because of the strong gust of wind. Don't be like that kid,
4. Do your research, because I think we could have gotten a better deal if we planned ahead.
5. There are some areas where you could see a lot of plastic floating at the water. I think this should be a wake-up call to every one to be more environmental-friendly, and to don't throw their trash in the water.
6. Don't buy anything at the stop-over spots, because the prices are double it's original price unlike if you just buy stuff at the city proper.
7. There are tours that provide 1 day accomodation at bigger ferries!
8. Bring extra clothes, because who knows you might fall off the ferry hahaha!
9. The pictures don't do justice to how stunning Ha Long bay is. I am so glad my cousin forced me to take this tour, because Ha Long Bay is loooove. |
| 2nd OOTD DEETS: Blazer and hat from Vietnam, Short black dress pilfered from Mama's closet, ballet flats from Shoo-In :) |
Love Always,
Nicole
