We left Hanoi bright and early for Halong Bay. Getting there was unbelievably awful somewhat unpleasant. Four hours in a tightly packed van over bumpy roads is not the most pleasant thing to do in the world, but when the person next to Scott got motion sickness and started throwing up (less than a quarter through the drive), it become monumentally unpleasant. Fortunately, because we travel with kids, we had an entire backpack filled with wet wipes, paper towel rolls, and other necessary items to give to the woman to clean up the mess. Gone, but not forgotten. (Thanks, nose.)
This sweet find at the bathroom break made up for some of the ride:
Once we got to the harbor though, it all became worth it. Scott booked us on a three day, two night cruise on Rosa Cruises.
We had two connecting cabins which were small but really nice. Each of our bedrooms had its own bathroom.
Knowing we were going on a “junk boat”, I never expected any of it to be really nice, so the surprise was excellent!
The first day we went to a pearl farm where we learned about how cultured pearls are made. We were all shocked to learn that only 30% of the (over a million) oysters they had would produce a pearl. 
They demonstrated how they take a small round ball made of part of the oyster shell and implant it, along with a small piece of membrane of a different oyster, into each oyster hoping that the oyster will live and will produce a large beautiful pearl. The science behind it was really impressive, but I am surprised they haven’t figured out a way to improve on the 50% mortality rate with a further 20% of oysters not producing.
After that, the boat anchored and most people went swimming and kayaking. The views, even in the fog, were breathtaking.
Day two involved breakfast and then moving to a day boat. The day boat took us out to do more swimming, kayaking, and a tour through a local fishing village (where the locals live on the water). We also went out with a local fisherman to see how he dropped the net into the water, drove large circles around it while beating on the side of the boat to get the fish to swim towards his net, and then pulled it up out of the water with everything from fish to crabs to langostines caught in it.
That night we went squid fishing off the back of the Rosa boat. We didn’t catch any that night, but our two new Canadian friends who were on the boat caught two squid. The next night, Keali caught one. It was all very exciting. And late.
Day three, we stopped at one of the many caves that are in Halong Bay and walked through it. The crowds were horrible. At one point, you could barely walk through the hoards of people.
After about five or six minutes though, it opened up into one of the largest caverns I’ve seen. It was spectacular to see.
A quick tinder ride back to the boat after that, took us to Keali making homemade Vietnamese fried spring rolls followed by lunch. The tour was over. We boarded the van and headed back to Hanoi, but fortunately this ride involved no one being sick.
Halong Bay is an unbelievably beautiful place. The legends that go along with it that involve dragons and gems and rising mountain islands to protect the country are endearing. It’s a shame that there are parts of the bay that are being destroyed by humans. Specifically, people are dropping their rubbish into the water. No one is cleaning it up. And there doesn’t appear to be any regulations against it. It is what I figure a place looks like with no EPA. It’s unfortunate. With hundreds of boats on the water, Halong Bay won’t last as long if they don’t start working to keep it clean.
Lastly, we spent one night back in Hanoi before flying to Bangkok. The kids found this kitten in a shop in Hanoi that they wanted put up on the blog, maybe because of the tail or maybe because of the leash. I don’t know. So here you go.
Video of other highlights and photos: