Vietnam - 22 April 2023

Whilst we planned to have an early wake up this morning as we were to be picked up at 8am, Harriette, as always, beats the alarm clock. Hence we were up and ready earlier than necessary, but a positive side affect is that we got to enjoy the hotel breakfast.

At 8am we got picked up by the cruise boat company, and after picking up a few more passengers we headed to Ha Long Bay. It was a 2 and half hour drive and along the way we did all our schooling and also stopped by a pearl farm.

It was interesting to see how the put the pearl nucleus into the oysters to cultivate the pearls. Interesting enough this process was in the late 1800s and commercialised in the early 1900s, and it took a while for these type of pearls to be accepted. The farm of course had a shop that sold the finished products. And even cultivated pearls are expensive, which is not surprising when 70% of the oysters either do not accept the nucleus or die from the process, and it take 3 to 10 years to create the pearls.

Once we got to Ha Long, we boarded our cruise boat, The Swam, at the terminal and set off on our Ha Long Bay tour. Whilst the boat is definitely a tourist cruise, the sights are amazing and breath taking (even in the muggy weather). After settling in, we had 6 course lunch which included baked oysters in a Vietnamese sauce, yum! So yummy that Harriette was very upset with the parents that they did “share” enough of the oysters with her.

Next was a kayaking excursion with a swim in the bay. This was thoroughly enjoyed by all four of us. We went all the way around one of the islands, and we are certain that we will feel our shoulder muscles tomorrow morning.

After we got back to the boat, and showered it was time to go up to the sun deck to enjoy the sunset and happy hour. We also had a little cooking course in making fresh spring rolls, which, while simple in design are fresh and delicious. What really makes it special is the dipping sauce which consists of: