Day-17: Ha Long Bay

Day-17: Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Beginning Location: Gulf of Tonkin
Final Location: Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Well it has officially turned cold. Winds are upward of 25 knots with temperature in the high 40's. It's time to break-out the cold weather gear.

With a mid-morning arrival we were able to sleep-in to well past 7 this morning.

The entry into Ha Long Bay was shrouded by sea fog but the abundance of rocks and islets rising from the sea was evident.


Foghorns could be heard throughout the approach into our Ha Long pier side berth.

This bay has a long history and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, unfortunately the weather is not going to cooperate so what we will see will be very limited. I've included a few web based photographs representative of the region.

Modern day "Cruise Junks" offer local tours and vacations in the Ha Long Bay Area.

Around 1000 the approach to our pier began and again a well-choreographed rotation maneuver followed by a brief backing maneuver resulted in what almost appeared to be a parallel parking evolution.

Once moored, the real action began. A group of seven barges loaded with sawdust was anchored off the port quarter. Their location had been part of the reason for the final backing maneuver to the pier.



Though I knew we were moored for some reason there was apparent relative motion between us and the barges. As I watched the barges suddenly a multitude of Vietnamese voices rang forth from the barges and on six of the seven, bargemen began running to stations and diesels began to rev-up and belch thick black smoke. Apparently the bargemen had suddenly realized that their anchor was not holding and they were en-route to a hull-to-hull embrace with the big white ship tied up to the pier. So with the nested barges trying to move against a 25 knot wind it was soon evident they didn't have a chance. They had no room to maneuver and surely rubbed there "truck-tire" bumper guards along the snow white hull of the Nautica.

Finally the barges were moved and anchored in a location not so different from where they had left.


After lunch we boarded the buses for a ride into Ha Long where at the inner harbor we were to take junk rides in Ha Long Bay.

We arrived at the harbor terminal in Ha Long about 1330 and waited. Word finally started drifting around via the grapevine that the junk rides may be canceled due to the rain, wind and fog. Problem was, there were 4 or 5 tour guides and a number of uniformed port police but no one with the authority to make a decision. We would wait for someone to come and decide what to do. Finally a decision was made and the boat ride was canceled. We boarded the buses and headed back to the ship with a few people stopping at a local trinket/souvenir market.


One thing is evident, the further north we have come the less affluent the lifestyle seems to be. Furthermore, we're seeing more uniformed military or police presence as we proceed north with more checks and document stations simply to go and come from the ship.


Upon return to the ship and after an ice cream treat we rested up for dinner.

Tonight's specialty was Indian Cuisine. We tried a number of the dishes, possibly try-outs for a future trip to Mumbai or Agra.  We dined with a couple we've frequently hung out with, a USMA 1971 grad and wife from Austin, TX.

Following dinner we moseyed down to the Martini Lounge and participated in the evening's trivia contest pairing up with a couple we had not met before. Good news for them that we arrived for we provided two answers that they would not otherwise have known. Typical questions included:

• What is a "B" word used by baseball players when referring to umpires?
• In 2002 what force was proven to travel at the speed of light affirming one of Einstein's theories?
• What is a locust bean called when used as a sweetener?
• What country consumes the most sweet potatoes?
• Where did chocolate and vanilla originate?
• How many teeth does a duck-billed platypus have?
• What grape is associated with burgundy wines?
• What was the first asteroid named after a classical composer?
• What Englishman wrote two books about the life cycle of barnacles?

Enough of that, we retired for the night. But wait, at 2330 the sawdust barges were back. With whistles blowing, bells sounding and the cacophony of Vietnamese voices again piecing the air just off our port side. Seems that the anchor had slipped once again and the bargemen were repeating the frantic diesel start and barge shuffle. Don't think we touched this time, looked like a couple of feet to spare.

Now it was time to really retire.