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Day 15
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Ha Long Bay
Respect the adventure
I awoke at 6:00 AM. I slept really well in the new cabin with heat. Lauren slept bundled up in the old cabin with no heat. It was too early for breakfast or any of the ship activities so I took moment to catch up with Susan and friends via text. It was 7 PM the night before on the U.S. East Coast and 6 PM in Texas.
The breakfast brought Lauren around and we reunited for a nice made-to-order breakfast, 2 fried eggs in my case.
These ships accommodate 2 day 1 night cruises and 3 day 2 night cruises (us). Our cohort, the 3 day 2 night group disembarked for a “day cruise” that consisted of activities that could include swimming (too cold), kayaking (do plenty of that ourselves), and a visit to a pearl farm.
We opted out. This brought concern from the guide and crew, and some of the other passengers. They asked if I was infirmed and began to defer to me as if I were weak. No, I explained, we have been riding motorcycles for the last 11 days in the central highlands, along the spine of Vietnam with the border with Laos. This cruise for us, was a deliberately planned rest break where we did not have to ride, find food, find accommodation, etc. Their whole attitude changed, at least with the passengers (this is small ship and you interact with a small group of passengers), as none of them would have been up to that level of adventure. Not caring about it, we had accumulated some respect. Passengers and crew gave plenty of leeway as we pursued R&R.
I sat on the balcony and took photos.
After the day cruise disembarked, the passengers on the 2 day 1 night tour are invited to a nice breakfast brunch (we were too) at 9:30 AM and asked to settle their bar bills before boarding the tenders to return to shore.
I sat on the balcony and took photos of the bay.
At 1:00 PM lunch was served. Same menu as the day before. Yum. I had a beer instead.
By now a new wave of 2 day 1 night passengers arrived, mostly Asians. The ship was full..
It was a good day
I started my malaria pill regime. We planned to go to the Ha Giang Province in Vietnam in 3 days and Penn Travel Medicine in Philadelphia said there was a malaria outbreak and advised malaria pills as prophylaxiis. I had taken malaria pills for India in the 1980s and it was an unpleasant experience. Apparently the meds have improved and I noticed no side effects.
The afternoon was more R&R for me. I tried the hot tub, which had a wonderful view of the bay. If they only had cabin service. It felt great but I noticed a horrific yellow ring around the side after using it. I attributed it to the oil from the terrible Shang Hai massage I got in Hanoi. I cleaned it.
Dinner was nice, but too much food. Multiple courses: stir-fried beef, stir-fried noodles, deep-fried sea bass, grilled shrimp with cheese (not as good as it sounds), deep-fried squid, and an assortment of vegetables, some unrecognizable. And plenty of desserts.
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