On To Sapa

After our debarquement (bien, not mal) the luxury van took us back to Hanoi and the O'Gallery Premier hotel, where we had booked an extra night and stowed some of our gear. Next morning, another luxury van picked us up for the trip to Sapa and our two treks there. Sapa is in far northwest Vietnam, up in the mountains, home to a variety of indigenous peoples, Hmong and others. A French outpost was established there in 1922. In more recent years Sapa has become a tourist destination, partly the scenery, partly the trekking, partly the indigenous villages. We were there for all three, although our trekking ambitions were quite modest: downhill, please, and take the taxi back up to the hotel. Sapa is terraced on a mountainside at about 5,000 feet, with noticeably thinner air than we've been accustomed to.

Another day, another luxury van; and more interesting fellow travelers, including
a couple from Kent who shared a number of British garden destinations with us

There were two rest stops along the way, neither as interesting as the marble 

shopping center nor the water puppets 

But there was still plenty to see and learn; for example,
Vietnamese bus tourists do not wear shoes on the coaches;
the bus provides flip-flops for them to wear at the rest stops

Thus; not very sanitary if you ask me

Both the rest stops en route to Sapa seemed oriented toward nationals and not
us foreigners

Vietnamese driving in the mountains was a thrill ride, buses leap-frogging buses
on blind corners, 15% grades, etc.

The rest stops were these huge three-sided buildings; this one had a huge tiki
warehouse within

In the valleys and for most of the way, rice; lots of rice

Bongs for rent, or sale...

Bus station is a great place to change/rotate tires

Anyhow, the luxury van deposited us in a timely fashion at our hotel, the Chau
Long Sapa hotel, which was notable for several reasons...a big beautiful room

A bath-tub, only the second we've encountered these two months

A portable fake fireplace

A nice balcony

View from the balcony, overlooking a bit of Sapa (it's not a quaint mountain village
anymore)

Not least, this, a lighted, high-tech toilet/bidet;
disappointingly, unlike the rest of southeast Asia, the color
did not change every five seconds...pink, green, yellow,
etc.

Instructions on toilet lid

Remote; the heated seat was enough for me; I did not try the other operations
for fear of bodily harm

View from our table in the dining room; bonsai everywhere

The sad thing was, for the first night and day, we were evidently the only people
there, in all the 60-some rooms; rather than set up the customary breakfast
buffet, they just brought it to our table

A display of Hmong skirts in the restaurant

Azaleas blooming in the lobby

And a big aquarium

Street scene outside the hotel

Interior courtyard, four of the seven floors; beautiful place, nice people; I hope
they can weather the storm...

Halong Bay Cruise, 3

Our cabin, at the stern of the Dragon's Pearl 2 conveniently overlooked the deck from which repairs were effected the second night aboard. We didn't watch--it was late and dark--but could hear muffled clattering from midnight until about 2:30, when I thought I heard a muffled cheer and applause. By the time we got up for breakfast, the ship was underway, and we learned that, despite the mishap, we were still going to see the cave on Skyview Mountain and also still going to see the fishing village and the oyster farm. Three things in which we had little interest. The emphasis on these cruises is on activities, not the scenery (much less the geology). We saw far less of the scenery than we'd hoped to see. But Indochina Junk apparently felt that since none of the activities were curtailed, there was no harm in never getting to the bay and islands we had paid to see. Oh well. As with other tours and cruises, there is enough fine print and caveats to ensure the passenger has no rights and no recourse. Not a new lesson. We still much enjoyed the scenery we did get to see. It's a spectacular place.

Underway! On our own power!

Skyview Mountain, where seemingly every cruise puts in to see the cave; Vicki
and I demurred; it was 300 steps up to the cave and back down, and she wanted
to save her knees for trekking in Sapa (next post) 

When the passengers returned, the crew had raised the sails; flimsy show-sails,
I thought

Dragon's Pearl 2 then made for the fishing village and loaded us into the lighter

For our tour, via row boat, of the fishing village and oyster
farm

Thus

Among the karsts

Another day, another arch

Fishing vessels

Approaching the oyster farm

And a presentation on oysters and pearls; this is a pearl farm

Harvesting an artificially induced pearl

Quite a bit more than I wanted to know about oysters; though a week later I
was slurping them down at an all you could eat sushi extravaganza

Oyster farm

Our ship awaits, ready for the return voyage to Ha Long...maybe 90 minutes

It was easy to follow our progress throughout the three days; we never got
remotely close to Bai Tu Long Bay

Last views of the karsts

Approaching Ha Long harbor and journey's end

Halong Bay Cruise, 2: Oh Hear Us When We Cry To Thee For Those In Peril Upon The Sea

Our second day at sea dawned clear and bright and smooth, full of happy portent. After the 37 course Vietnamese tourist breakfast, our ship was underway, headed for Bai Tu Long Bay, so our contract said; but probably not. About 10 AM, the engine went dead, we coasted to a stop, all was still, the anchor was dropped, and Dragon's Pearl 2 twisted in the wind, and tide; for the rest of the day. Our guide disappeared, apparently hiding in his cabin. Questioning the crew, we learned that the propeller had fallen off the shaft (or so we interpreted "propeller problem") and that we were dead in the water. Corporate headquarters had been alerted and was sending an engineer. The talk among passengers might have turned ugly, to matters of refund, breach of contract, pain and suffering, rescue, etc., but Vicki, ever the optimist, began singing the Gilligan's Island ballad, and other passengers, mostly the Americans, joined in. "A three-day tour!" Such a good-humored lot. There's a song for everything, Vicki claims. How about mutiny? I ask. Eventually, the guide reappeared, confirmed what we earlier had surmised, but announced, hey, no problem, our crew has found another island and beach, nearby, so we'll just take the lighter (tender?), kayak some more, and have the promised beach barbecue there. No problem. Also no propulsion. Also no Bai Tu Long Bay. Whatever.

Clear, bright, smooth, etc., as we make our way through the morning scenery

Commie listening post, cleverly disguised as a fisherman's temple

So here we are in the lighter, headed toward the island and beach where we'll have
the BBQ

But first, more kayaking fun; no pix because Vicki and I actually joined in the
fun, stepping carefully down from the lighter down into the 2-up kayak; we
made for the island in the middle there, actually passing through the arch, then
left, behind the three islands, and finally to the beach; zig-zagging all the way,
as we normally do in canoes and kayaks (to evade enemy torpedoes, I explain)

That arch; pretty exciting actually

Meanwhile back ashore, the crew is setting up and fixing the BBQ; that's the
chef, sporting his Viet Cong pith helmet (can be purchased at tourist trinket
shoppes throughout Vietnam) 

Many courses, mostly protein

Luncheon setting; we sat in the chairs farthest right, since I had determined
that the tide was coming in 

The beach; note that it is backed up by sheer cliffs; increasing concern about the
incoming tide; also increasing concern because Dragon's Pearl 2 is no longer
in view; perhaps the anchor is dragging...

Sea snails in a tidal pool; at least we won't starve...those of us who can evade
the incoming tide by scaling the cliffs

A low-tide cave under the cliff; shade was welcome

Us, there; this is the only picture of us on the cruise; still waiting to hear from the
guy from Virginia who took lots of pix of us kayaking

Dragon's Pearl was still there, twisting in the wind; the engineer had come and
gone and was to return after midnight with a SCUBA diver to undertake the
needed repairs

As far as we got that day

Back aboard, fellow passengers taking her easy

At length, the cruise company sent out a larger lighter (tender?) to tow us back to
the previous night's anchorage

"We can 't make it, sir. It's spoiling for a hurricane,
if you ask me." "I'm not asking you, Lieutenant Berg,"
said the Commander. "Rev her up to 8,500! We're
going through!"  The pounding of the cylinders
increased: ta-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa. The crew
looked at each other and grinned. "The Old Man'll get
us through," they said to one another.

Back to reality

At least the scenery was nice

We made it to the anchorage

As before

After dinner, it was crew entertainment night

The highlight of which, for me, was the food carving by
the chef: the ship, doves, and a dragon, all done in fruit and
veggies...very impressive

He also played this 2-string traditional instrument

And the bartender entertained us with the bamboo flute; such a day!