Dawn breaks over Halong Bay, and it’s not the prettiest, but it’s not raining – so we’ll take it. Tony said yesterday was the first time he’s seen the sun in 4 weeks. We are so lucky! We’ll take today’s weather – no worries.
We didn’t sleep very well as the wind kept whipping up the water – and since we are all the way forward, we got the “bow slaps” as it were – water rushing under the boat, then gurgling loudly. It was the gurgles that kept us up most of the night. And then, right when we’d fall asleep, the darn hallway door would slam open in the wind. It would hit the wall so hard it rattled it – right next to my face. Since I was cocooned up against the wall, there was no way for me to get out – which I really wanted to do to see if I could lash the darn door open. But then I’d have to find my clothes, find the door (it’s pitch in that cabin) and try to fix the door – all without waking up Ed. I gave it up and just slept when I could!
We’re all at breakfast on time – and treated to an Asian and Western feast. First comes Pho – oh I’m addicted to Pho now – which is made perfectly and just the right amount for breakfast. Then comes a fried egg, toast, jam and a little light salad (all of which I skip, because I’m really happy with the Pho!).
We sit with Pamela and Allie who work for CNN in Hong Kong. They are in Hanoi for a long weekend visiting a friend and decided to do this little jaunt. They are lovely gals, and give us some great restaurant and cafe recommendations for Hanoi.
When breakfast is over, again we get a few moments to freshen up then it’s off to see the floating village. This is a real working, living, breathing floating village of about 200 people. They live here full time, and ply the waters fishing and farming for mussels and pearls. The company that owns the Junks also supports this village and makes it possible for the villagers to live there permanently.
We hop on our tender and are delivered to a little floating office area where we are off loaded into bamboo row boats and rowed through the village. It’s amazing. All these little floating shacks of various sizes and shapes, no electricity except for generator power for a few hours a day. Kids …
… and dogs (dogs!!) running all over the decks of the houses/shacks. We row past one amazing scene after another.
We make a stop at the school complex where there are 5 teachers who teach the village children. They are so cute – varying ages and sizes, split into 3 classrooms. They wave and say hello then go back to their classroom chores – for these little ones it was writing in cursive on the black board.
We tour the little “museum” area while Tony explains the fish farms, there are 4 here on this floating platform and the tools the fisherman use, past and present. We see a little fishing boat that the villagers used to use before the actual village was built. This little boat would be home to the entirely family! Of 3, 4 or more people! Wow, no personal space here!
Back on the row boats, we continue to circle the village, then head out around some of the islands. Our boat driver/rower likes to take us perilously close to the islands, which gives us great viewpoints (as we duck!) and we also get to see the rock oysters up close – which look like cousins to our Bluffton oysters – just much smaller, and they harvest them right off the rocks to use in soups and as seasoning for other dishes.
Our last stop is the pearl factory. Where a floating grocery store has pulled up for the villagers….
Inside, we get a demonstration on how they seed the oysters to create pearls. Have never seen that before. It’s pretty interesting – and so delicate. We watch the girl doing it for a while, and her dexterity is incredible. Only about 30% of the oysters produce pearls, and then only 10% of those produce perfect pearls. They have a huge farm – but we never got the exact number of the harvest each year. I think it changes so much from year to year that it is hard to actually quote for us. Ah well – of course we’re funneled through the gift shop – and truly – if we were interested, the prices are not that bad. But we’re not – so back to the boat we go.
We need to check out at 10 – then lunch at 11. So we collect our gear and head up to the sun deck. It’s reasonably warm enough to sit out and read while our bills are prepared. We have a little bill glitch when our beers and wine are put on Rick and Debbie’s account – but otherwise, it’s smooth as silk as we sail back toward the harbor.
Lunch is served ala carte – we chose what we wanted in the morning – this time we get our own plate (not to share) – and everything is just as tasty as the previous 3 meals. This Junk is incredibly nice, food excellent, staff courteous and so service oriented. And these guys do everything – there aren’t more than 10 or 11 of them and they do so many multiple duties – waiter, room steward, deck hand, bartender – and all with a smile and a helpful attitude. For an overnight trip – this has just been fantastic – can’t say enough about it.
After goodbyes and tips, we head back to the staging area – this time to find ourselves in a van with Rick and Debbie and a young British couple who are heading to Danang that evening. 4 hours of driving just flies by when you have such good company. We talk through the entire trip – about traveling, our respective countries, jobs, etc. We again stop at the obligatory rest/shopping stop. Ed and I hit the facilities and then hang outside eating what remains of the fruit we brought with us from the hotel.
Back in town, we are the last to be dropped so we get a little tour of the other hotels around the Old Town. Then back to the Hanoi Elite for our last evening in Hanoi.
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