Vietnam Trip 7 Days – Day 2, Halong
“I
can't think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than
to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you
are five years old again. You can't read anything, you have only the most
rudimentary sense of how things work, you can't even reliably cross a street
without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of
interesting guesses.” -- Bill Bryson, Neither Here Nor There: Travels in
Europe.
To
travel is to open yourself to the knowledge that you really don’t know anything
for sure and that you are just a tiny human being, a mere spec in the grand
scheme of things. Some of us do manage to get or make a larger drawing canvas
to bring alive our imagination and plans, but most of us are ephemeral blue-sky
spirites. I do believe that we evolve when we travel, or perhaps it is just my
experience and maybe I become more receptive to everything around me. For me,
it is absolute bliss and contentment wandering about absorbing everything
around. My earnest endeavour is that I am able to retain that state of
awareness in my routine life. I know people who have already achieved that
state (I salute them) or at least they pretend.
Amongst
us three sisters, for one, luxury was sine qua non, the other was almost fine
with everything and the one remaining was all about balance. So, between us, we
enjoyed the best of all three! Halong Bay was luxurious! From the limousine
that brought us to this seventh heaven…Yes, literally! Our homestay was on the
14th floor of one of the tallest towers[i]
around, overlooking the beautiful Bay bejewelled with magnificent limestone
formations dating back to 500 million years[ii].
We had the entire fully furnished two BHK (including a washing machine and
dryer with supplies…it was definitely handy) to ourselves for three days. Our host,
Miss Phuong[iii],
also provided kitchen and bath essentials plus daily cleaning and restocking.
She was only a message away at all times. Her sister who assisted us didn’t
understand a word of English, so it was google translate and dumb charades with
her which was quite interesting.
We
didn’t tarry any longer and quickly docked our luggage and booked a Grab taxi
to drop us to Sunworld Theme Park[iv]
which promised an array of fun activities and sights to behold. We made the
mistake of going there on a weekend, so we had to pay more for the tickets[v]
and bear long waits for each ride inside the theme park. Students from about
ten or more school groups shared the queue with us. However, whatever, we had
the time of our lives! Even the wait was pleasant with a beautiful weather and
a civilised crowd of shy school children. Not many spoke English, so we
couldn’t interact much with them but lot of smiles exchanged and some curious
selfies clicked with us three Indian gals. Surprisingly enough, we were the
only Indian tourists around. The rest comprised Korean and Chinese tour groups,
and a handful of Russian, German, English, and French speaking tourists.
After
enjoying the roller coasters, our first meat on a stick (unbelievably
satisfying), coconut ice cream, and a gazillion selfies and poses later, we
moved on to the adjacent Mystic Mountain and Cable ride complex. It was yet
another world of wonders. We got cracking with a ride on the world’s highest (188,88
meters) cable car with an amazing bird’s eye view of the majestic Halong Bay, a
world Heritage site. They actually shake the whole car when you reach the
highest point. It was hilarious! We followed it up with Sunwheel, 215 metres
above sea surface. However, immediately after the cable car, it was not so exciting.
I would recommend riding it later in the evening so that you can enjoy the
brilliant night sky line.
Next,
we stumbled upon a Japanese style zen garden; a spectacular vista with a pond
brimming with Koi, and many types of bonsai (found across all the major tourist
sites in Hanoi). It rested in the backdrop of the Sunwheel on one side and the
spectacular Koi Bridge which comes alive with dreamy dandelion lights the
evening. A mesmerizing sight! We did a slow-motion jump pic on the bridge! We
just didn’t want to leave! Incidentally, the Dandelions also stand for wishes
coming true…I read somewhere that the seeds illustrate letting go of the past
and making a fresh start…It was as if the universe wanted me to wake up unafraid
and start living!
We
also got on our first bobsled on the mystic mountain and then, got on it again!
Extremely exhilarating pure undiluted fun! We also enjoyed the Moonlight Water
Puppet Theatre show in the evening in an open-air theatre at the end of the zen
garden (show every hour post 5pm). The place turned even more magical and
romantic at night with string lights and themed castles and many other photo-op
structures. We enjoyed the dancing dragon fountain show at the entrance of the park.
It was a tribute to the name of the place itself (Ha Long meaning descending
dragons). We missed our other halves in that idyllic setting especially since
we came across lots of Korean girls posing with their oppas everywhere. Having
binged on Korean dramas and movies, I felt so at home. I finally got to use “Gamsahamnida”
and “anieayo”!
We also
missed the artificial beach on the premises. We didn’t know the beach was inside
the complex. Later on, while walking back to our homestay (4 kms), we went on a
wild goose chase looking for the beach and stumbling across a mega Las Vegas
like settlement with only construction workers and pickup trucks. We took this
pic at the end of the road where we did finally find the sea, clad in nothing
but Cimmerian darkness. We sprinted back to the main road as fast as our legs
could carry us.
The
streets were lined with big aquariums full of various kinds of fishes, clams, mussels, giant
prawns, crabs, and lobsters. And the meals are quite a steal (for just 1000 INR
you can enjoy fresh seafood meal of your choice). Our building had an amazing array
of restaurants to choose from, so we savoured Phở gà (pho with chicken) post our
sprint back on a particularly windy and cool night. It was perfect for our
hoarse throats (hoarse from screaming with delight and that ice cream!). The Chicken
noodle soups came with crunchy Bánh dầu chéo quẩy, Vietnamese fried bread sticks
and fresh chillies. We also checked out the ubiquitous Circle K Mart and got
some sweet cheese filling Vietnamese bread! It was ten already and the place
was closing down. We forced ourselves to retire for the day as we looked forward
to our pre-booked Halong bay cruise.
To
be continued…
“Why
do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you
came from with new eyes and extra colours. And the people there see you
differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never
leaving.”
―
Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
[iii] https://www.airbnb.co.in/rooms/23753108?poi_place_id=819555&source_impression_id=p3_1581180208_D%2FVGf0FecJ7BtQwG
[iv] https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g13163470-d11893961-Reviews-Sun_World_Ha_Long_Complex-Bai_Chay_Halong_Bay_Quang_Ninh_Province.html
[v] Please
take the combo tickets for the theme parks. It is cheaper that way as opposed
to buying separate tickets for each destination.
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