Ethereal Beauty On the Boat at Halong Bay

As a Canadian East Coaster I have always said that even setting foot on a boat makes me hungry, and this has been proven out many times over the years and was also true for the Halong Bay overnight cruise!

We traveled by bus from Hanoi to Halong Bay and we very pleasantly surprised by the lovely boat and the awesome accommodations with full queen size berth and an exceptional bath room with a full walk-in shower.

As we arrived we powered out to a spot near the karst hills, which in itself is a spectacular journey, and laid anchor.

Check out karst here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karst

The crew were busy setting the incredible table for our group lunch. And, oh what a lunch it was… shrimp, oysters, clams and skewers of meat all cooked to perfection and presented with an artistic flare I have not seen in quite a while. Beautiful and tasty these treats did not last long. But, that was just the appetizer!

Fragrant steamed rice, crispy succulent chicken, incredible sauted fish covered in a carrot netting, crab cakes formed and rolled onto sugar cane skewers,and a crisp fresh salad ‘to die for’ complemented the drinks and our hearty appetites. Well, lunch was done!

Next a quick trip to the caves (the largest in Halong Bay) for some interesting viewing.

There were about 100 or so cabin cruisers similar to ours in the Bay, all just anchored, creating some fantastic light shows during the evening. The scene played out against the silhouettes of the karst hills in the back ground was beautiful and awesome all at once. This is one of my favorite places so far on the trip. The calmness of the beauty of the karst hills surrounded by mist was soul healing.

Dinner was not short of fabulous with many offerings to our hungry bellies and our thirsty spirits!

The evening held more surprises as we played ‘karaoke’…what century are we in right now? Yes, and it was a blast! Our CEO Sony has a voice that could rival Sinatra! We all had turns ‘crooning’ out a song or two and then the real fun started. A number of group members had 1000’s of songs on their phones so we jimmied the phones to the speaker system and had an all out dance party! I have not danced or laughed so hard in about a decade. Special thanks to Don, Dan, and Marshal for the loan of their music to ‘keep the beat’ going all night.
Needless to say we all enjoyed our time aboard ship!

This is an absolute must do on any agenda, go to Halong Bay for the overnight cruise!
Highly recommended for the fun factor but also the ethereal beauty of the place.