One oddity about our cabin is the unintelligible recorded message that plays every time R switches on her bedside lamp. Dinh thinks that we are having him on when we ask about it. It will remain a mystery.
Today is another action packed thriller, starting with sea kayaking. We prepare for the worst, and wear clothes suitable for soaking. The drizzle persists so we are going to get wet one way or another. We are allocated a two seater kayak which we board from the platform at the back of the cruiser. The crew manage to get us in without a capsize and we are cast adrift. About half the group opt for kayaks and most of the rest follow on one of the tenders. We get the hang of paddling and don't have too many crises.
We paddle for maybe a mile or so between the limestone cliffs, getting a close up look at how the sea has undercut them. We do a bit of exploring, taking care not to lose touch with the rest of the flock. The young lady in charge urges us to head towards a small beach. The tender deposits the less intrepid there for a Bank Holiday Weekend experience of paddling in light rain. A couple of intrepid souls go swimming but the rest of us just huddle together in the soggy sand. Then it is time to go back to the cruiser. We almost tip over as we close in but survive to be hauled out of the kayak by a couple of burly matelots.
Both of us are sodden but hot showers and a cup of tea revive the spirits. This boat seems to have endless hot water. Lunch is called and the menu states the first course to be 'French Fried' . Surely they are not going to serve up chips? Oh yes they are. A plate to share with a dipping bowl of tomato ketchup. Then we have four courses of gorgeous looking Vietnamese food, far more than we can eat. Do they have to hold a gun to the chef's head while he cooks chips?
After lunch we continue our cruise through the fascinating Drowned Karst landscape of Halong Bay. We see a few fishermen and people who look to be chipping limpets off the rocks just above sea level. There are a couple of floating houses but by and large the area appears devoid of population. We also start to see a few birds, mainly black kites but also ratchet tailed treepies and R spots a Reef Heron. Dinh tells us that birds were hunted almost to extinction because of famine during and after the wars in the 1980s. Very sad.
We anchor in a bay busy with other cruisers and transfer by tender to visit a a cave complex with some serious stalactite features. This involves a climb up the cliff on a set of rather dodgy stone steps. The caves are quite interesting but hardly one of the wonders of the world. When we return to the boat we decide to try out our balcony, sitting and watching the world as the light fades, gently sipping a sundowner.
R goes for a foot massage which does wonders for her toes. Tonight's culinary skills lesson is napkin folding, a session that D spends propping up the bar. Dinner is another treat for the eyes and palate. We decide to splurge on a bottle of wine and somehow finish up with a bottle of Brown Brothers Everton Red. How does that work?
Seems as if I spoke too soon about the food. Frites ? With Heinz ketchup ? That's a step too far ....
ReplyDeleteR. looks very fetching in the life jacket.
Love the one with R holding the napkin up... listening intently about the first fold.
DeleteCurious. Does a sundowner include nimble fingering of a gadget? Tch.
ReplyDeleteThe butler was just mixing them while the photo was being taken.
DeleteYou went canoeing with Rosena? I thought you had learned that lesson!
ReplyDeleteI made her sit in the front.
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