Ha Long Bay - Cruising

July 13-15, 2016

Wednesday morning we boarded a shuttle bus and we're on our way to Ha Long Bay for a 3 day 2 night cruise on a La Vella Cruise. Hạ Long Bay lies on Vietnam’s northeastern seacoast, 70 kilometers from Hanoi. A dramatic setting of rocky formations and crystal blue waters, the bay is inscribed on the World Heritage list. It was three days of amazing relaxation, luxurious accommodation and bubble baths, cooking classes, tai chi, cave exploring, kayaking, learning about oysters and pearls, and visiting a fishing village. We were treated like royalty and the food was delicious.

 Ti Top Isalnd was named after the Russian astronaut German Titop on the occasion of his first visit to Halong Bay in 1962.

There is a lookout point on the island that provides stunning views of the bay.

Having fun on the beach.

Getting ready to return from Ti Top Island to our boat.

Happy hour mojitos. 

Cooking class on deck.

Dinner had about 4 courses (I lost count) and was delicious.

Time for breakfast!

Setting off on a day of exploring HaLong Bay.

First stop of the day was visiting a floating fishing village.  Ha Long Bay is home to three traditional floating villages that date to the early nineteenth century. These communities are comprised of 400 households, approximately 1,700 people, who live on boats and floating wooden houses in the core zone of Hạ Long bay. Their main livelihood is fishing and aquaculture. Traditionally, each boat in the floating village is a separate household, though the raft or boat always serves more than one function. It is a home, a means of transport, and a source of income.

Next stop was a Ha Long Bay Pearl Farm.

Technicians open the live pearl oysters then gently surgically implant a small shell bead along with a tiny piece of mantle tissue. This bead is the nucleus around which the oyster secretes layer after layer of nacre, the substance that forms the pearl. This step of the culturing process requires tremendous skill and precision. The oysters will only allow their shells to be pried open 2 to 3 centimetres or they will reject the nucleus. Experienced technicians use exacting tools to make the tiny incisions.

The nucleated oysters are quickly returned to the sea, housed in individual mesh pockets that are suspended from floating rafts. The oysters feed and grow in sheltered bays rich in natural nutrients. As time passes, the oysters secrete lustrous layers of nacre around the implanted bead. In winter, the oysters are moved to warmer waters. Pearl technicians monitor water temperatures and feeding conditions daily at various water depths and move the oysters to take advantage of the best growing conditions.

Opening the oysters and placing a wedge to keep them open.

Implanting the oysters.

Harvesting the mantle tissue.

Mesh pockets suspended in the sea, where the oysters feed and grow.

Harvesting the pearl.

The last stop of the day was kayaking.

It was so quiet and peaceful on the waters, and we got to explore the Ha Long islands up close.

Aboard the LaVella cruise ship.  It was a beautiful, clean, luxusious ship.

We had two adjoining cabins.  Perfect for our family.

Yes, we had a jacuzzi tub, and enjoyed views of the bay while cruising and bathing.  The kids loved that the tub had not only jets, but also disco lights.

Cooking class #2.

Stepan shaved his beard...I barely recognized him.

Sung Sot Cave.  The largest and most visited cave in Ha Long Bay.

Funny story:  Even though our cruise included transport back to Hanoi in a luxurious and direct travelling bus, we had hoped to bypass Hanoi and travel straight to Ninh Binh to catch the train to Hue.  The staff on the cruise were hesitant to arrange this for us, but they did.  We asked to be dropped off at the bus station in Ha Long City, but instead of driving back into the city they dropped us at a bus stop en route to Ninh Binh.  They assured us that they had communicated with the bus and that it would stop for us.  A little nervous, but excited to continue our travels we waited.  Buses would pass, some would even slow down open the doors and yell out their destination.  We would yell Ninh Binh...and they would shake their heads and keep going.  Most buses were headed to Hanoi. I thought I saw a bus labelled Ninh Binh drive by, but I'm not really sure, and it was well ahead of the time frame the cruise people had given us.  We waited.  Eventually one of the buses stopped. We asked Ninh Binh, they said yes, so we got on and we were off.  If only it were that simple.  I occasionally pulled out my google map and checked which way we were going...after a couple hours, it became obvious that we were heading to Hanoi...despite continuously asking the attendant "Ninh Binh?", even when we were approaching Hanoi, he still nodded yes.  Although he did not speak a work of english, Ninh Binh sounds nothing like Hanoi...so to this day I am not sure what exactly happened.  So to make a long story just a little shorter, we ended up spending about 5-6 hours on this little packed local bus (there were huge bags of rice stacked in the aisle), driving through tiny towns, stuck in traffic and making way too many stops.  We ended up in Hanoi for another night, because all the cheap train tickets were booked and it would be way cheaper to buy flights to DaNang the next evening. Gotta love VietJet...

Three action packed days on the cruise made for some super tired kids.