Ha Long Bay
After spending our time thus far in big cities and the mountains of Vietnam, we were ready for some sunshine and salty breeze in our life!!
A New Zealand friend we met in Sa Pa, Tristan, recommended we check out Oasis Party Bay Cruises – a perfect combination of outdoor activities and partying with other backpackers!
After a bit of research we hit “book” for a 3 day, 2 night cruise. Here’s a little re-cap of our experience in the one, the only: Ha Long Bay!
Day 1 – Oasis Bay Party Cruise
8.15: Hop on the Party Cruise Bus with our fellow shipmates for the next 3 days. Looks like we’re workin with:
- 3 Crazy Aussies
- 2 Icelandic People
- 2 Dutch Dudes
- 2 Americans aka Julie & Saff (yes, we get asked about the presidential election by all people we meet)
12.00 -12.30: Arrive at Tuan Chau Harbor and wiggle our way, frogger-style through the packs of tourists visiting this beauty! Hop on a series of ferries till we reach the party barge.
12.30 -1.00: Chow down on a 9-course Vietnamese lunch with our new pals. Maybe drink a beer (or 5).
1.00 – 3.00: Maneuver our way through the bay, chill on the rooftop deck and gaze in awe at Stone Dog Islet, Incense Burner Islet, Fighting Cock Islet, Swan Isle, Duck Islet!
3.00 – 5.00: Spend a couple hours kayaking through the tunnel to explore the off the beaten track area of Frog Pond. Help the Dutch overturn their flipped kayak. One Icelander slices open his hand in the process, no stitches available, probably necessary.
5.00: Sunset party time – boat jumping and swimming in the warm water of Ha Long Bay!
6.15: Re-board the Party Cruise and enjoy a steal of a Happy Hour (buy 2, get 1!)
7.30: 10 course evening meal in the ship’s dining room
8.30: Party with our new friends! Learned a few new drinking games we’ll most definitely bring back to share with our pals in the states🇺🇸 Of course, when it came to beer pong, we showed em how ‘murricans do it!
Day 2 – Freedom Island
7.30: Wake up to the most gorgeous sight you’ve seen in your life — giant pillars and rock formations bursting through the surface of the vast ocean surrounding us. Open our cabin window, breathe in the fresh air and listen to the calming sound of waves and seabirds outside. Cure the hangover with toast, eggs, coffee and a beer.
9.30-11.30: Hop on a smaller boat to take us to Freedom Island. Make a pit stop along the way for extreme cliff diving in the Lan Ha Bay Lagoon as demonstrated here by Sean:
12.00-13.00: Land Ho! Freedom at last! (Well Freedom Island at least). Feast on fried rice, ramen noodles with pork and refreshing, juicy watermelon for dessert!
1.00-6.00: Play water frisbee, kayak, swim across the bay to a small beach and discover a dead baby Orca (makes one a little nervous now swimming back through the bay to the island…unknown creatures of the ocean below). Relax hammock style in the cool tropical breeze (as demonstrated here), with a good book and a mojito in hand!
7.00: Feast, again. Joke around that we’re eating the puppies we saw earlier…cruel joke, but a reality in many Vietnamese villages…
8.00: Fiesta time!
Day 3 – Oasis Bay Party Cruise
Wake up in our little island bungalow to breathtaking sights as mentioned previously.
7.00: Munch on breakfast of one egg, three pieces of cold bread, mmmmm!
8.00: In a panic, try to locate Sean’s phone. Crisis averted: still on the speaker from last night’s Party Tunes with DJ Saff session.
10.00: Reluctantly jump aboard a small “speed” boat to take us back to our cruise ship.
11.00 -12.30: Watch our tour guide, Nghia, teach us how to make our own Pork & Veggie Spring Rolls. Try our hand at making spring rolls, not the best but we eat them for lunch later! (If you ask me, “cooking class” might have been a ploy for some free labor). Enjoy the last supper (lunch) on board with our new amigos as we float into the harbor and play our favorite card game, Presidents and Assholes.
1.00: Too-da-loo to our new friends who hop on a bus to Ninh Binh and we part ways to head back to Hanoi. Thanks for the epic memories!
