Arranging the Tour

We found out that our plan was not hard to arrange when we reached the old quarters of Hanoi. This vicinity also happens to be the backpacking area in the city. So it was easy to find guesthouses, travel agencies and tour operators. Like most tourist-friendly destinations in Southeast Asia, the guesthouses in Hanoi also conveniently double as travel agencies.  We expressed to the guesthouse manager our desire to visit Halong Bay on a boat. He showed us a package tour, which included an overnight stay on a huge boat, all meals and tours around the Dau Go Cave and a floating village. This tour package is actually offered by many travel offices in the Old Quarter. Every package offered was the same except for the quoted prices. We found out there are two types of boats that bring tourists around Halong Bay. The first is the luxurious package but that was way over our budget, and the second one was a budget cruise. Being on a backpacking trip, we opted for the budget boat cruise which turned out to be roughly $40 US all inclusive. The first price offered for tours in the Old Quarter of Hanoi is often inflated. So we made used of our haggling skills to bring down the amount as low as we could. But what we didn’t know and failed to research is that there have been warnings from travel guidebooks to stay away from some of the Halong Bay overnight boats. This unawareness resulted in an interesting and unexpected journey.

Getting On the Boat

Halong City, which is the access point to Halong Bay is about 3 hours away from Hanoi. The tour package we took included a transfer from Hanoi to the jetty where the tour boats set sail. We were picked up very early in the morning by a big van. But our travel group was not the only passengers who got picked up. The van eventually picked up other people from other guesthouses. While in the van, a local introduced himself as our guide. He was friendly and spoke decent English. He said that he will be with us throughout the whole tour. When we reached the jetty’s passenger terminal, we were greeted by an overwhelming scene. About a hundred tourists from all over were swarming around the passenger terminal. There were so many people that there weren’t enough seats for everyone. Our friendly guide left our group and went somewhere without telling us. We figured that we had to wait for a couple of minutes to get on our designated boat. The minutes of waiting painfully turned into an hour. We were growing anxious without our guide in sight. And it seemed like everyone else was anxious and clueless about what was happening.

We finally saw our guide and other locals arguing with each other loudly. His happy demeanor diminished to the point that he did not even return to us to explain what was happening. We waited for another hour until the guides who were still discussing various issues started bringing papers that denoted the names of the passengers. Although we couldn’t understand what they were saying, it was clear to us that they were trying to figure out which people should go on which boat. In theory, this may seem an easy task, but the problem was that not all tourists signed up for the same length of tour. Some were only doing a day trip, whereas others booked an overnighter or two nights. After more than 2 hours of waiting, a local man, who was not our original guide, finally called us to board a boat.

The boat we boarded was a powered by motor but its design was quite traditional. There were three main levels. The uppermost one was an open area, which had a couple of wooden benches and water tanks. The second deck was the nicest. It contained the dining area with several tables and chairs and a tiny bar equipped with a fridge and T.V. The final level was where the rooms were located. Loud music blasted from the boat as passengers were ushered onto the boat. By this time, it was past noon, and everyone was exhausted and hungry. The locals told us to go to the dining level.  They brought out the food, which consisted of rice, fish and a vegetable dish. It was your typical Southeast Asian meal but the taste was nothing special. Each table was served big plates of these dishes and people on each table were expected to share.  The quantity of the food was fine but the quality was not what we expected. Still, it was not something worth complaining about. Being in the dining room full of travelers was actually interesting. We got the chance to talk to some who had fascinating stories to tell.

Most of the people who we spoke with were traveling around Southeast Asia for months, and they were telling us of their adventures. We particularly got to know two British girls that were backpacking around the region for six months. We also had a chat with a couple from Canada who asked for leave from work to visit Southeast Asia for two months.  After lunch, we had the chance to enjoy the views of Halong Bay, and take pictures. The sight of the limestone karsts was enough to forget the gruelling wait at the jetty.

While talking to other passengers, we soon found out that we paid varying amounts for the same tour.  It was clear that some people got really ripped off, and we were glad it wasn’t us.There was also this underlying problem that bothered us. There was obviously way too many people on the boat for the number of rooms available.  Since there were surprises in the tour that morning, we prepared ourselves for the worst, and speculated amongst ourselves what the tour operators would do?

The Floating Village

One of the activities promised in the tour was the chance to kayak, swim and explore a floating village. So the boat made its way to a floating village after lunch. The village area was quite small and was composed of boat houses that use huge buoyant objects to stay afloat. We were given the choice to kayak for free around the village area or go on a small boat cruise into the nearby cave system. The cave cruise of course was not free of charge.

We decided to do the kayaking, but we soon regretted this decision. It’s not because the cave cruise was better, but because the water was murky and unpleasant. To give you an idea of Halong Bay – the view is spectacular but the bay water is murky, and in some parts (like the water village) smells bad.  When we left the floating village, the tour guide told us that the boat would stop in one area so we could swim. No one in our group dared to do it, but some of the other passengers happily jumped into the water.

The Transfer at Sea

By sundown, people were getting antsy about the accommodation arrangement on board. Most of them wanted to get the key to their rooms and have a rest. A group of guests were now arguing with the guide, demanding to go to their rooms. After about 20 minutes of arguing, the guide finally gave the group their room keys, except for two ladies. As a result, the argument between these two women and the guide escalated. Everyone onboard could hear the shouting and bickering. The guide finally said that they have to transfer the rest of the guests, including us, to another boat. We thought we were going to dock somewhere to make that transfer, but nope! Another boat came and positioned itself alongside our boat. In a laughable, mildly unsafe fashion, the transfer of guests from one boat to another was conducted in the middle of the bay.