( Overview
/ 50 somethings SE Asia travels
28/2/18 - Day 33
Left our hotel at 8am, on route to Halong Bay, takes about 4 hours but our minibus has been organised by our cruise company and it’s very luxurious compared to other buses we’ve travelled on.
Arrived around 11.30, taken to Paradise Hotel for drinks and then escorted to our boat - we’d been upgraded to Paradise Elegance. We paid $680 for the two of us, our most expensive trip / accommodation yet!! The boat is very luxurious and we have a lovely cabin with balcony. Staff seem very friendly and efficient too... I couldn’t remember what our cabin number was and by accident discovered that the key we’d been given was the master key so I went around surprising a few people, managed to walk in on about three different sets of people.
Left port at around 12.30, after the safety briefing and dancing (not us but the staff, who I felt sorry for!) they served lunch at 1. Think this trip is going to be about non-stop eating! Met a nice girl who was on her own and considerably younger than the majority of the fellow passengers so invited her to join us.
The Bay is amazing, everywhere you look there is a huge mountain rising from the sea... Shame about the weather! We arrived at Hang Sung Sot (Surprise Cave), loads of people but amazing caves, stayed at the caves about an hour and got back on the boat at 4.30. J and I sat on our balcony, watching the cloud roll in...
1/3/18 - Day 34
More cruising around, visited a Pearl Farm and in the afternoon we kayaked around a floating village, although we only had about 30 minutes, no where near enough. Back on the boat it was lovely watching the views, I just about managed to find space in our cabin to roll out the yoga mat and did an hour or so of yin yoga. Felt amazing afterwards...then we had a cooking demo around 6, along with Happy Hour :) and then more food...
2/3/18 - Day 35
The boat is going back into port this morning and then somehow we have to find our way to Haiphong where we’re staying tonight before we fly down to Danang....
Well it’s official, Haiphong is probably the worst place we have visited so far. We got transferred half of the way by our luxurious minibus and then found a public bus which actually stopped for us then took us all the way to Haiphong for about £2.50 each. I don’t think you’ll find the place in any of the travel guides. Anyway, we spent the afternoon walking around, the highlight according to Tripadvisor is Tam Bac Lake which we walked around. If this is the highlight, then god help the people who live here! Took some interesting photo’s though... back at the hotel counting down the hours until we get on the flight...
3/3/18 - Day 36
Left our hotel at 8am, on route to Halong Bay, takes about 4 hours but our minibus has been organised by our cruise company and it’s very luxurious compared to other buses we’ve travelled on.
Arrived around 11.30, taken to Paradise Hotel for drinks and then escorted to our boat - we’d been upgraded to Paradise Elegance. We paid $680 for the two of us, our most expensive trip / accommodation yet!! The boat is very luxurious and we have a lovely cabin with balcony. Staff seem very friendly and efficient too... I couldn’t remember what our cabin number was and by accident discovered that the key we’d been given was the master key so I went around surprising a few people, managed to walk in on about three different sets of people.
Left port at around 12.30, after the safety briefing and dancing (not us but the staff, who I felt sorry for!) they served lunch at 1. Think this trip is going to be about non-stop eating! Met a nice girl who was on her own and considerably younger than the majority of the fellow passengers so invited her to join us.
The Bay is amazing, everywhere you look there is a huge mountain rising from the sea... Shame about the weather! We arrived at Hang Sung Sot (Surprise Cave), loads of people but amazing caves, stayed at the caves about an hour and got back on the boat at 4.30. J and I sat on our balcony, watching the cloud roll in...
1/3/18 - Day 34
More cruising around, visited a Pearl Farm and in the afternoon we kayaked around a floating village, although we only had about 30 minutes, no where near enough. Back on the boat it was lovely watching the views, I just about managed to find space in our cabin to roll out the yoga mat and did an hour or so of yin yoga. Felt amazing afterwards...then we had a cooking demo around 6, along with Happy Hour :) and then more food...
2/3/18 - Day 35
The boat is going back into port this morning and then somehow we have to find our way to Haiphong where we’re staying tonight before we fly down to Danang....
Well it’s official, Haiphong is probably the worst place we have visited so far. We got transferred half of the way by our luxurious minibus and then found a public bus which actually stopped for us then took us all the way to Haiphong for about £2.50 each. I don’t think you’ll find the place in any of the travel guides. Anyway, we spent the afternoon walking around, the highlight according to Tripadvisor is Tam Bac Lake which we walked around. If this is the highlight, then god help the people who live here! Took some interesting photo’s though... back at the hotel counting down the hours until we get on the flight...
3/3/18 - Day 36
Rolf spotted in Halong Bay?
Look whose lost his beard!
Very comfy bed!
Exercising in the streets of Haiphong
Exercising in the streets of Haiphong
Off street Dentist anyone?
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