We took a small boat out today on a semi private tour. The main boat had to go back to the port to drop off people and grab more supplies. It would not come back till the evening, so we stayed out on the mini boat.
Halong Bay is beautiful, but at the same time very crowded. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and hopefully funding and regulations will keep this place from getting worse. We were lucky though. Our tour operation is one of the few that can go deep into the bays. They had some special permit allowing deeper entry into the protected park. Once we passed this line, we could tell we were somewhere special.
Our first stop was for more kayaking. There were 8 of us, so the 4 boats were easily managed. The cliffs are made of limestone and in certain places it has dissolved to form caves. Some of these caves are right at the water level, so you can paddle your boat through them. We went through 3 great caves that connected the lagoons. In one we found a place to swim. There were no other people around. Everywhere you looked up, it was giant cliff walls covered in foliage. Our guide had us looking for monkeys, but we didn't see any. I hope she was being serious and not just messing with us. Sorry, but the camera did not go on this outing in the kayaks. Chances were good that we might flip over.
One other cave was full of roosting bats half way through it. As you paddled in, and looked up, you could see and hear the bats circling around. I wanted to see, but at the same time did not want a guano surprise in my face. The entire cave was dripping from the seeping water and the sounds that the drops made were creating a little music. The walls had some tiny crabs and snails that scattered as you passed.
After an hour of kayaking we made our way back to the boat and went for a little swim. The water in this part of the bay was more clear, but still a bit green. We just lounged around and took in the scenery. We were then served lunch, and what a lunch it was. I could to believe how such a small boat could whip up such a great spread. There was way too much food, but for some reason I think the uneaten food did not go to waste.
After the lunch, we headed over to the Halong Bay Pearl Farm. Little did we know that we were going to get an in depth tour. A farm guide met with us right off the boat. We walked down onto the floating platform and went into a museum that described the oysters and the pearl process. Pretty sure that this was the first floating museum that I have ever been on. Next, he took us to look at the pearl operation in process. There were people tying oysters to nets and others opening them. They have about a 5 hour time that they can be out of the water before they die, so they have to work fast. We saw the room where the techs were inserting the cores into the oysters with great precision. The guide told us that only 30 percent of the oysters will actually take hold of the core and form a pearl. Also, I asked about the water conditions and how the environmental factors are affecting pearls. He was not real happy to say, but he mentioned that the conditions are getting worse and the pearls are getting more difficult to make. The fertilizer, water temps, and other pollution are the main factors. Not pretty.
The pearl farm had a floating store as well with some very nice items for sale. Not just pearl necklaces and earrings, but carved shells and mother of pearl creations as well. My favorite was the single black pearls you can buy. For $2,000USD you can get a massive single pearl in a tasteful display case. I think I'll get one to put next to my snake wine.
We boarded the boat and headed to another beach. This time we were in the protected area and had a very quiet beach to ourselves. Katherine and I hiked up to the peak and had a wonderful lookout point of the bay. To one side was the secluded area and the other you could see to where the other boats were anchored. This lookout was beautiful and with the setting sun, made for some decent photos.
Dinner back on the Opera mother ship was a feast and we had a great time with our Irish friends Emma and Adam. No karaoke for us, we just retired early to catch up on some missed rest. It was a wonderful day.
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