Of Water and Stone, Boats, Breeze and Fellowship

Halong Bay

First, I must say that finding a reputable tour company in Hanoi is like finding a motor bike driver who DOESN'T say "Motobike?" when you walk by. It's damn near impossible.

I did a lot of online research and discovered that there are various "classes" of trips on Halong Bay, but that they basically break down into three categories: budget, mid-range and fancy shmancy (to quote a former coworker). I really wanted to have a good experience because I read some awful accounts of peoples' Halong experiences online and basically decided to go with one of the two most highly recommended upper-mid-range companies (I'm sorry, I don't have my notes with me for their names). I investigated both of their offices and discovered they each had excellent customer service. The prices were a little steep, but I was going to just go with it to ensure a good experience. Shortly after visiting the second office and while I was debating my decision, I ran into this nice Frenchman, Laurent Kiti (see Hanoi post), sat and had a drink and conversed a while before asking him if he knew a reputable company, JUST to get a third opinion. He introduced me to Thuy at GP Travel, who gave me his Halong schpeel before we starting just talking. We talked for like an hour or two, he was very friendly and the office wasn't too busy while I was there. It was a really pleasurable conversation. Afterwards, I went with my gut instinct...I liked him a lot, I liked what he had to say about his business and I felt he was pretty honest. Let me say, I was and am not disappointed. I was actually quite impressed with his honesty and openness about the business.

After the fact, I'm so satisfied with my experience that I must recommend him as a good, honest, excellent mid-ranged Halong tour operator and suggest anyone considering visiting Halong to consult him as one of your sources for information. I happily offer his contact info:

GP Travel
Thuy, owner (or speak to Vihn)
29 Hang Giay, Hanoi
Tel: +84 4 39263043
Fax: +84 4 39343797
Mobile: +84 983373387
I paid $85 + $30 (additional charge to have my own room) for two nights, three days (one night on boat, one on Cat Ba), kayaking, bicycling, island and cave visits and three star accommodations


Not only did I get what I paid for, I got a lot more than I expected!!! I had been watching the weather carefully for a couple of days, attempting to be strategic (I told one Vietnamese man I was trying to win the weather game...he responded, "In Vietnam, you can never win the weather game.). The day I booked, near typhoon force winds and rain battered Hanoi for a portion of the day. The computer forecasted sun and part clouds for the weekend, so I just went with it and hoped for the best. It was kind of the same with the tour operator. I booked it and just went with it.

For those interested in details, here was my itinerary: In the end I got a pretty standard Halong itinerary, but it seemed that there were a few added perks (and I'm not sure exactly why...not sure if I paid for it or if I got in the tour guides good graces by being friendly Jamie and he just let me get away with it!). The mini bus picked me up at my hotel. We drove all over Hanoi picking up irritated tourists who had been waiting for a pick up longer than expected. I was understanding, it's a big town and people stay all over the place,but I was one of the lucky ones picked up on time. We traveled to Halong, stopping at an arts center that supports people with agent orange poisoning, a center which practiced and retailed, among many other arts, production ceramics work. (BTW: It was really interesting to see the molds and slip casting in bulk in progress...never seen that before!!!) We got to Halong, our tour guide made arrangements and led us to our boat. We sailed in Halong, UNDER SUNNY SKIES (Yeah!!!), stopping at the "Surprise" Cave (ha ha, what a surprise *sarcasm*). The guide gave us his song and dance in the cave (I've seen the same song and dance now three times...they seem to all be "same same"). We had EXCELLENT food the first dinner, docked in a bay with other boats, but tethered to no other. My accommodations were quite nice, the dining room quite nice, the food excellent (soooooo much seafood!!!! and sooo well prepared). From there, I kayaked for part of a day, I visited Tetop Island, got dropped off at Cat Ba, took a spin on a bike around the island, stayed in a lovely place with 9th floor dining area, ate more great meals, took a long kayak trip with a new friend to Monkey Island and then motored home slowly. All this was followed by lunch on land at a HUGE dining area for tourists and one more stop at another art center and then back to Hanoi.

The boat was small and intimate, only eight rooms, I think. It didn't have the fanciest sun deck, but it was quite adequate for leisure and photography. At times, it was utterly quiet on the water, which was totally pleasant. Our boat had a group of French tourists, a newly wed couple, an Aussie chap with his Vietnamese sister-in-law and me. Pretty small and nice. I took pleasure in setting off in the kayak off one of the floating fishing villages and finding my way to a quiet cove to listen to the birds. There are so many birds in the crevices in the rock and I saw pairs of raptors here and there fishing (I don't think they were ospreys, because their wings didn't have that classic shape). Others on the boat had to pay if they wanted to kayak, but for me, the tour guide said I paid for it. OK. There was a big discussion about how the morning would work. At first, they said I'd eat breakfast earlier than the others and then get picked up by some other boat. Then the French folks said they wanted to stop at Tetop on the way out (I don't believe I paid for that). Then, more discussion in Vietnamese. They changed their minds a few more times. Later in the evening, they told me we would all go to Tetop Island for sunrise and then have breakfast and then they would drop me off at Cat Ba. This is what we did.

Tetop Island is an island that has a pagoda at the top with a great view of a section of the bay. I walked right onto the island with a ticket from the guide. He said I paid for it. OK. Nice view. OK hazy sunrise, but quiet and lovely and we were the first and only ones there so we had the whole scene to ourselves. Many photographs and videos ensued.

We motored slowly over to Cat Ba where my guide transferred me to another guide. I waited on the docks for a bit while other travelers arrived and, oddly enough, met back up with a gentleman I had seen in the morning before I left my guest house and who happened to be staying at the same guest house as I back in Hanoi. He was in my group. Interesting. We were immediately buds, seeing that we'd be paired up anyways with our tour guide. We drove to Cat Ba National Park where the guide said that I had paid for a bike rental. OK. I was feeling a little low in the morning and the suggestion of me having a bicycle to use perked me right up. Just what the doctor ordered! What, 20km to get around a loop on the island. Two hours. Up and down. No problem! And off I went, alone! It was sooooooooo sweet! I wish I had had my bike, because it would have been such a lovely ride with it. The rental bike seat didn't go up high enough for me, but beggars can't be choosers. The ride was utterly silent, jumped up over a ridge and then followed the coast up and down for a ways before jumping up and over the ridge again. I was invited by the security guards at the National Oceanographic Institute to join them for a cup of tea but I declined, sadly, fearing taking too long. I had no cyclometer, which I had grown so accustomed to using. This was my first ride in this trip with a time limit, which was strange! I didn't even really stop to take photos. That was fine for me, though, because I really needed a fast and furious ride! I got back feeling great and stoked that I got to see such a pretty place by bike.

On to the hotel. I got dropped at one, my tour mates at another. My hotel was "three star" which felt a lot more like four star to me! I was on the sixth floor and had a LOVELY room. I ate dinner on the patio on the 9th floor with a view of Cat Ba Cove! So lovely! One meal, I was the ONLY one in the restaurant and had three wait staff chatting with me and serving me. I felt like royalty! (I paid for this right?). The following day, my new English friend, Gareth, and I were motorbiked over to the harbor (I paid for this right?) where we were given a boat (and paid a little extra each on the docks to have our own boats) and set off with "directions" to find a place called Monkey Island. The guide said he would follow us, but he never came. This resulted in a MUCH longer kayak tour than he had intended for us. I had expected to see, like the previous day, HUNDREDS of boats and kayaks on the water as we paddled. Seriously, there was not a single boat on the water while we were paddling. It was eerie and eirie! SO UTTERLY SILENT, just the sound of our paddles dipping in the water and occasional "pinch me" conversation. We both couldn't believe where we were and what we were doing. We saw the monkeys on Monkey Island, but the adult would sit with it's back to us, preventing me from photographing its face, which I saw only a few times. I got lots of photos of the kids and adolescents playing in the trees. We hiked over the other side of the island, admiring the geology of the island and back to wander the beach and look at all the crazy shells and corals (and skip rocks, a favorite pass time of mine). We paddled back the long way, admiring vacant coves and little islands cackling with bird song from cavity nesters again. Such a delight. The wind kicked up a little as did the waves, provoking a little sea sickness from me (I did so well on the way over!), but not bad. The paddling was really choice. It would be lovely to take an extended journey with camping and paddling through the Bay.

I ate again on the 9th floor, this time with my own private restaurant and servers and then met Gareth to take a walk. It was a lovely evening on the Bay and the lights of boats was mesmerizing. There are many floating restaurants and bars, but we passed on those because you never no how things go when they hold the keys to the boat to get you back to land. We just chatted for a while and enjoyed the quiet night.

The following day was a slow motor through and out of Halong Bay, but a lovely overcast day. The Bay was calm and serene. What an unforgettable and seemingly unreal place!

Long post for a great experience!