As we had run out of stuff to do in Hanoi and a bit sick of playing chicken in the traffic, we opted for a side trip to Halong Bay – a very picturesque area of Vietnam. We were a bit surprised when, instead of a bus full of Aussies, a private tour guide came to collect us in a chauffeured car! The 3hr drive through miles of agricultural land was interesting, with various livestock tied onto motorbikes & trailers whizzing past us. At the port, we climbed on board one of the wooden boats and expectantly waited for the other tourists to get on.
The boat pulled away from the dock almost immediately and then it dawned on us that we also had our own private boat! So, Lord & Lady Muck cruised around the massive limestone karsts, visited a huge cave and ate a fresh crab, shrimp, squid and fish lunch, all washed down with a bottle of local white wine (which was excellent).
Our brilliant guide Tan, told us everything we wanted to know about his country. [His email is tan@vnescapetravel.com if you need a guide and he also teaches Vietnamese to business people]
Tan & Andy
