A taste of Malaysia

Halong has this been going on?
I asked "Halong has this been going on"
On the bus we set out from Hanoi,
Determined to see the Bay,
City traffic had begun to annoy,
Looking forward to a three day stay.
The boat was old and weary
But the crew was young and gay,
Our lunch was whole and hearty
And soon we were in the bay
I asked "Halong has this been going on?
Halong has this been going on?

Halong Bay has been called the eighth natural wonder of the world and despite the proliferation of tour boats and consequently the unsightly garbage floating in certain coves  is well worth the trip.  The bay encloses close to 2000 islands, jungle clad and mysterious, hovering above the emerald blue waters on pedestals of limestone is a scene of breathtaking imperious majesty.

We took the early morning bus from Hanoi, had lunch on the boat, spent two nights, the first on the boat the second in a hotel on Cat Ba island, and back to Hanoi.  Everything including Kayaking, (which our guide called 'kacking' inspiring many scatological jokes) meals, accommodations, and transportation for $130US.

We quickly got to know our fellow travellers and had many an interesting discussion, lots of laughs and a few bad songs as we sat and watched the sunset over the islands.  It's always nice to find a new audience for my jokes.

 

We kayaked to one cave which we explored in bare feet because otherwise it was too slippery for footwear.  The Vietnamese idea for tourist site safety is still in its infancy.  A simple warning is all you get, no handrails, no guide ropes, as a matter of fact no guides at all as they chose to stay outside the cave and let the western fools venture forth.  There is a certain comradery with us westerners and those of us old farts that needed a helping hand got all the assistance we needed and we left there with a new sense of team spirit.

The next cave was on a fair size island but the cavern was enormous.  The whole island must have been hollow.  We started a hike up to a mountain lookout on Cat Ba but a torrential downpour discouraged all but the hardiest.  Rest assured we were the first to retreat to the restaurant at the base and were enjoying out café sua da as the others came stumbling down from on high.

All in all a most pleasurable three days, then back to Hanoi where we caught the bus to Sapa.

We took the sleeper bus to the mountain retreat.  Our first sleeper bus and the experience was most enjoyable.  The seats are arranged in two tiers of three rows and lay flat for sleeping.  Designed for shorter, slimmer people they were rather crowded but the ability to sleep lying down greatly shortened the trip.  Seeing the narrow road weaving through the mountains while riding these huge behemoth buses was something we'll never forget.

We booked a week in Sapa mainly to get away from the summer heat and incessant noise of Hanoi.  The main activity other then eating and drinking is trekking through the mountains with Hmong tribesmen as guides.  When we finally got off the bus Dianne was heard to yell "Sapa Daba Doo" but three days of rain later that yell had changed to a mutter of "Phi Sapa Krappa".

The fourth day the clouds parted and we decided to explore the area on our own.  We discovered an ancient graveyard that was populated by a herd of undead horses who were keeping the paths clear and munching on the flowers respectful descendants had left for their ancestors.

Emboldened by our success the day before we four intrepid travellers decided we needed no guide to cross the mountain passes that surround the town.  We simply took a cab to the other end of the trail and started hiking back towards Sapa.  Groups of flinty eyed trekkers stood aside as we four passed them all kitted out with professional equipment and mountain guides.  The oldest people on the mountain and we left them panting in our wake.  Oh the joy of showing off.

 

 

We had to shoo water buffalo off the path

As a sad note the Hmong people have discovered that tourists will pay for photos or for simple handicrafts so they won't put their young in school but instead parade them all over the city with babies on their backs for a pittance.  Children as young as six or seven years are carrying their little brothers and sisters late into the night ready to drop from exhaustion, asleep on their feet, while they are being robbed of their future in a modern Vietnam.  Tourism changes a people sometimes for the worst sometimes for good, but it always brings change.

Then back to lovely Hanoi for a few days and we catch a flight to Ulang Prabang in Laos for the next phase of our journey.