It's a long way.... to Halong Bay!

An early rise this morning to get ready, have breakfast and be collected by my guide for my Halong Bay cruise.

My guide, Tony, told a few stories along the way. The first about how the French built the first bridge into Hanoi which is in the French style. Originally, the bridge was the only road in Hanoi on which people drove on the left side.

Next, he told us about their rituals for burying their dead. For most Vietnamese people, wen they die they are first buried in a coffin in a mud grave far outside the town/village. This is because the bodies are believed to be toxic when decaying. After around 3 years, the grave is dug up and the coffins opened. The bones are collected and placed in a ceramic coffin and reburied in a new grave closer to the town/village.

After a snooze, we stopped at a Production workshop for disabled people. Here items such as silk clothing, tapestries, painted and the like are produced and sold to tourists. I bought a pretty silk tapestry picture of Halong Bay for around $20. Probably more than I'd pay in a shop in Hanoi but I was told that it would usually take 2 days to make and to see the workers actually completing items I figured it was a bargain.

When we finally got to Halong City it was time for a quick drink and then we got to board a little tug-like boat to take us out to our cruise boat. Bizarrely enough, of the 15 of us on the boat, 9 of us are from NZ, 2 are Aussies, 2 South Korean and 2 German. The other 6 are only here 1 night so tomorrow it'll just be us Kiwi's. Can't believe I came all the way to Vietnam and I'm cruising the waters with a family who live less than 5km from me back in Auckland!

After checking out our digs for the next few days, we had some yummy lunch of squid, sea carp, morning glory (green veggies), sweet and sour pork and rice. Having been used to using only chopsticks for the last 10 days I was shocked to see cutlery at the table. I figure you have to embrace new cultures when you're travelling so asked for some chopsticks and happily dug in.

After having a good chat with my fellow passengers and enjoying the scenery as we cruised through the islands, we reached Ti Top Island. We disembarked and went to explore the island.

I thought all my trekking days on this trip were done but found the view too enticing so opted to walk the 400 steps to the top of the island. After returning back down and having a paddle in the sea, we returned to the boat. The others decided to go kayaking which I intended to do until it started to rain..... Maybe tomorrow!

After chilling out in my cabin and having a shower it was cooking class time - today's class was spring rolls, the happy hour and dinner time. Another yummy spread of stuffed crab, spring rolls, tiger prawns, stir fry chicken and rice followed by a few drinks and squid fishing!

A great way to end the day :-)