The 15 Day trip to Vietnam - The Mandarin Route - Day 12 (afternoon) - The Halong Bay sailing trip - lunch; on the way back to the harbour; dinner at the hotel - The 28th of May 2016

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Soon after having left the Grotto we were served a copious lunch on board which we really appreciated. Because of the heat and the fact that we had eaten so well many of us (I included) just laid down on the boat benches and took a nap  

The sailing trip took us into less frequented waters and there were times in which we were the only boat on the horizon. Somewhere along the trip we had to approach an island and help some people who were stranded there because of having left their anchored boat in what was then an unreachable spot.

Evening came unexpectedly and we all felt sorry for having to leave the beauty of Halong Bay behind. I ended up buying a pair of water pearl earrings for Mia and a few embroidered bags before setting foot on land.

Back at the hotel in Halong city dinner brought us back the flavours of the Bay ...

 

The 15 Day trip to Vietnam - The Mandarin Route - Day 12 (morning) - The Halong Bay sailing trip (cont.); Hien Cung Grotto - The 28th of May 2016

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Geologists have explained that the karst topography is the product of selective erosion over the millennia across much of the Gulf of Tonkin, both offshore in Halong Bay and on land at Tam Coc. Some of the karst utcrops had rather strange shapes and the whole ensemble did provide a remarkable sight.

By mid morning the sun had started to break through the grey clouds and the colours of the sea and the bay of Halong started showing us a myriad of different colours.

We came across a small fishing village and a few isolated fishing boats but a community of around 1,600 people are believed to live on the Bay.

We visited the Hien Cung grotto (Heavenly Cave) situated on Dau Go island, which is one of the most amazing grottos I have ever seen so far. The stalactites and stalagmites together with the changing colours of the rock formations provided breathtaking sights.

(To be continued)