The day started off early at 5:15 for sunrise over the Bay. Lam and I both were up for the spectacle. There was an oppressive closeness in the air as soon as we walkout onto the deck. Something about the humidity and the way the clouds appeared to push the islands closer to us gave a sense of being lost in some other time. I’ll never forget that fleeting feeling.
We then motored over to “Surprise Cavern” to tour the cave. Seeing lots of boats and a few fisher people along the way.
Women came up along side to try and sell trinkets.
It was about 300 steps up to the entrance of the cave. Beautiful views along the way.
Once inside the cave the name became apparent. It’s surprisingly big. The biggest cave in Ha Long Bay.
The walk back down to the boat, through a different area, was equally gorgeous.
A light lunch and short cruise back to the dock and our overnight adventure came to a close. We all agreed this was one of our favorite spots ever on a trip.
One other message we got from this trip is how important it is to eliminate plastic waste from our daily lives as much as possible. The Bay was full of floating plastic bottles and bags and other types of plastic waste. Fortunately, it seems our cruise company at least is working on cleanup and hopefully other businesses in Ha Long are too. And we can all contribute. Grab a reusable water bottle next time instead of a disposable plastic bottle of water. Bring reusable bags to the grocery store and don’t use plastic when shopping. We can each do our part.
