I’m
not sure what prompted me to head back to Vietnam so quickly within a
year. It possibly wasn’t for the food since the last visit did not
enthral me.
A
visit to Beijing is not complete without a visit to Great Wall of
China, in similar fashion, a visit to Hanoi is not complete without a
tour of Halong Bay.
I traded off a tour to Sapa for this and well, let me try to explain
and perhaps clarify the misrepresentations done by tour agencies.
Price
Sure
enough prices vary – hotels usually overprice them because of the
markup but this markup guarantees a punctual departure from the hotel.
Prices are valid
as of June 2012 and I was quoted a flat rate of USD 40 for a tour
inclusive of kayaking and a “good seafood lunch” versus USD 35 of a “not
so good meal”.
Over
the counter at a handful of agencies located in the Old Quarters,
prices also differed. Quotes were in the region of USD 30 for one
inclusive of kayaking
and a good seafood lunch – USD 5 shaved off! Until I reached one with
the most sincere salesman who tried to wow with his American accented
English. Without Kayaking and much cajoling, we sealed the deal at USD
25.
As much as Vietnamese do not engage in bargaining, tourists vs locals, the former won. Or so I delightfully thought.
Pickup
First
up, the pickup was an entire hour late and we were mentally prepared
for the worse – being cheated of our money. Nonetheless when the coach
finally
pulled up an hour later, it was a tour bus that fit 14 people to a T.
Any bigger sized, I would have difficulty squeezing in and out of my
seat. With poor driving skills and a coach that looked like it would
fall apart any moment, I enjoyed a tumultaneous
bumpy ride that threatened to throw my breakfast and self out of my
seat every now and then. 4 hours later, I thank God for making it there
in one full piece.
I have never been so delighted to see a jetty before - the rainbow at the end of the 4 hour journey of a tunnel. I swear I almost cried.
Cruise
None
of what I envisioned it to be – junkboat clearly replaced with a blind
man’s version of a pirate boat. My expectations were obviously set too
high up
with pictures of the tour on pamphlets – even better than photoshop.
Everything about the boat spelt old. Windows could barely be closed – if
I attempted I probably ripped them off. Tables bore traces of dried
rain water and the chairs creaked with every movement.
The only decent looking thing on the boat.
Halong bay is really just stretches of natural wonders, mountainous areas.
As part of the tour, we dropped by a fishing village amidst the bay.
I innocently thought this would be our lunch. Seafood lunch, you know?
Floating market of glum looking ladies trying to sell us fruits at tourist trap prices.
The only furry one that looked sincere! He was soaking in the rain half the time.
Food
After
visiting the floating market and village that sold seafood for a living
– yes, I saw schools of fat fish, crayfish, mussels and prawns, I had
high hopes
for lunch. At least seafood lunch meant somewhere along the lines of
shrimp at least. The first foray into Vietnamese home cooking and it was
largely oriental in taste. The lack of meat made me grouchy but I guess
that is the difference in cultures.
Fried Peanuts
I thought these were appetizers but these were served as mains. Oily nuts and rice barely goes hand in hand.
Clam Soup
Clear looking and plain soup with baby clams. I wonder if the cook even added any flavouring to it.
Fried Spring Rolls
Dripping in oil and cold, if anything the mushy filling reminded me of yam.
Stir fried vegetables
Piping hot and tasty! My favourite dish of the meal.
Fried omelette
Too oily for comfort and barely hot.
Steamed Tilapia
One whole gaping mouthed fish glared at me.
Clams and fish certainly point to a seafood lunch by Vietnamese standards perhaps but miles off from what I was expecting. Eat, only to quell the hunger but definitely not for any form of satisfaction. I wonder what would make of a chilli crab meal? Heaven on earth, I suppose.
so looks like we should give this a skip?
ReplyDelete@FoodieFC: I'm really half hearted about this...it's deemed as a must visit but I liked the caves that were part of the trip. But just for halong bay, i thought it was overhyped. it's about being there and doing that.
ReplyDeleteHaLong bay is the most beautiful heritage of Viet Nam, it's so exciting that spending our vacation on Halong bay cruise
ReplyDelete