Our cruise to Ha Long Bay was a welcome sense of peace after the bustling streets of Hanoi. A couple hours from the city we were welcomed into one of the 7 great natural wonders of the world. Giant fjords lifted out of the smooth water. They appeared in layers with very light ones in the backdrop and giant darker ones right in front of us. It was magical.
Our cruise, Le Theater, was a splurge, and we could feel it. It was a smaller ship with about 40 rooms, each with their own balcony and modern bathroom with hot shower. Quite a step up from our 5 nights on the seas of Indonesia in August! We didn't even have rats or ants and there were sinks to wash your hands!
The ship had a luxurious dining room with a large piano and floor to ceiling windows looking out at the sea. And a rooftop offered happy hour cocktails and smoothies and a place to play cards as we meandered through the fjords. It was quiet and very peaceful. I could have stayed there for days.
Our first afternoon we got to go sea kayaking, exploring a small cave, picking up floating bamboo, and circling ourselves around the nearest fjord.
Afterwards, we bravely jumped into the very chilly water for a swim. It was considered winter. Some of us found it exhilarating.
Others found it a bit of a shock.
After dinner, Trae and the kids squid fished off the back of the boat. The squid released their ink when caught - which made me feel a bit bad for them. Most were small and got tossed back into the bay. Trae caught a bigger one that the crew kept to cook up.
Early the next day, after a Tai Chi class, local fishermen and women took us by smaller fishing boats out to a large cave. Our fisherman was all smiles and jokes as he rowed us out. He started singing on the return row. It is a moment I will forever remember. -- Kim
Poppy did some research on Ha Long Bay (in our effort to legitimately home school). Here is what she learned:
Some really cool facts about Halong Bay, which is where we just went.
What's a cool fact about Ha Long Bay?
Ha Long Bay is not that deep but there are thousands of different species of plant and marine life.
What is so special about Ha Long Bay?
It is so famous for its amazing limestone mountains that rise up from emerald water. P.S. more information about the mountains will come.
How old is Ha Long Bay?
Ha Long Bay is actually 500 million years old! It didn't really become a big tourist attraction, however, until 2017 when the movie King Kong was filmed there.
How did Ha Long Bay get its name?
The name “Ha Long” itself means “Descending Dragon” in Vietnamese. There is a story about how the bay was created “When the Vietnamese people faced harm or difficulty a dragon flew down from heaven, the dragon not only sprayed fire but also emerald and jade jewels that became the green arpeggio.”
Facts about the islands in Ha Long Bay?
There are 1,600 islands in Ha Long Bay.
How were the mountains made?
They are called karsts. For a bunch of years seashells and rocks landed on the bottom of the sea and formed little limestone mountains. Then the earth shifted like a little earthquake and pushed the limestone up above water. Finally, rain fell and made rivers and valleys around the mountains.
–Poppy!
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