Ha Long Bay
The Ho Chi Minh Trail adventure was eleven days on a motorcycle with only the belongings that would fit into a backpack strapped to the seat and a small chest pack. (See FAQs for a list of what I carried) Even in my younger, peak motorcycle days, I never spent 11 days straight riding. In planning this trip, I had no idea how I would hold up after 11 days on a bike. Yet international travel logistics required that I make a plan.
After the Ho Chi Minh Trail motorcycle adventure, I signed up for a 3 day, 2 night cruise on the world-famous Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You have seen Ha Long Bay in movies. Cruise operators operate relatively small ships that range from modest to luxury. I chose a small to medium boat in the medium comfort range.
You have seen Ha Long Bay in James Bond movies.
Embarking involves a bus and a port terminal where small boats ferry passengers to their cruise ships. It is crowded and has a Disney-esk feel. It is touristy. I am not a fan of mass production tourist experiences, but I was ready for R&R.
After 11 days on a motorcycle, I was ready to be taken care of.
11 days on a motorcycle living out of a backpack in a remote area of Vietnam near Laos, I was ready for an all-inclusive cruise. The meals and the drinks were wonderful, and best of all, they just happened without me having to do anything except show up. The accommodations were comfortable and I did not have to pack and repack a motorcycle every day.
The scenery of Ha Long Bay is magnificent, even when the weather is poor. BTW, I much prefer to endure the inevitable poor weather days in a comfy boat cabin rather than on the seat of a motorcycle.
Content to relax and recline onboard, I opted out of the tourist shore and shopping excursions. The tour guide and other passengers were initially concerned that I might be infirmed in some way as an explanation for lounging around the boat. They were quick to recoil when they learned what we had been doing for the past 11 days and became sheepish about the tourist activities in comparison.
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Cruising Ha Long Bay was a wonderful way to recover and recharge. It also created the space to contemplate the next adventure episode, and whether we were up to getting aboard motorcycles again. Or perhaps tour by auto or bus. Care to guess our choice?
