Rose sunset at Ha Long Bay

“The challenge of hiring tours in Southeast Asia...”

Ha Long Bay in Vietnam marvels you with rock formations emerging from the emerald water, all with arbitrary morphologies with green jungle hats.

Its beauty earned it the declaration of World Heritage Site by Unesco.

It is advisable to sleep on a boat because the sunset offers an unforgettable experience.

In my case, the exotic panoramic view from the deck was dressed in an intense pink that was reflected in the calm waters. The image was unique and its remembrance still generates an automatic sparkle of a smile because of what I experienced there. What an adventure!

But not everything was so pink during my visit.

Southeast Asia has so many offers and the price range is so vast that the decision becomes a challenge, almost like a guessing game as to what it will actually be. When you hire a transfer, if you are told that twenty people will be going, you will most likely find yourself with twice as many fellow travelers. When you ask how long it will take to get there and they tell you one hour, again: you should at least add an extra half hour. Identical exercise you have to do to calculate your group for the next tour.

Of course, by making a stronger investment, certainty gets closer, but in general terms everything is that unsure in the area and Vietnam is no exception.

My visit started in Hanoi, its capital, from where the excursion to Ha Long Bay included in the package purchased by God's luck via internet, thanks to random tips extracted from a blog. At that time, although online booking was already widespread, doing it for such a distant country was a challenge, so when we arrived at the modern international airport of Nội Bài, the uncertainty increased because once the visa process was completed we left without finding any sign of the transfer. After half an hour the little sign with my name appeared. What a relief! That unpunctuality was only the prelude to the countless waits throughout the trip.

The next day, I shared the transfer of almost the whole morning in a van full of young tourists to the port, where the number of people moving from one dock to the other forged more doubts about the convenience of the little package hired in Dugong Sail Tours.

Finally Mr. Bean, the short Vietnamese man who introduced himself as the guide for the crossing, showed up. The mediocre boat offered a cabin with a private full bath and valuable air conditioning on those humid days that exceeded forty degrees.

After a short sail and a frugal lunch, it was time for the kayak ride. Everything was so precarious that I was grateful to have a travel lock to keep everything under key. That lucidity was later appreciated as I learned stories of multiple things disappearing on such tours.

The views from the kayak were amazing, especially when we entered caves where, inside, true paradises opened up.

The tour also offers a visit to the Cave of Wonders or Hang Sung Sot Cave, with long stalactites and colossal halls, similar to the ones I visited in Padirac, France; or the Cango Caves, near Oudtshoorn (in South Africa), or the Waitomo (in New Zealand), or the limestone formations of the Reed Flute Grottoes in Guilin (in China). Yes, I did a few...

Back on the boat, the sunset was tinged with pink, reflecting the sky in the calm water of that beautiful inlet. The tranquility of contemplating this natural spectacle was magical.

The moment was so hypnotic that the next day we decided to extend our stay for another night, not knowing that the negotiation with Mr. Bean would not be entirely convenient, so instead of spending another night in the nice little boat as we intended, I was taken to Cat Ba Island, to a small hotel with very fugitive stars and no elevator, where after forcibly refusing to hand over my passport (which was a precious commodity for these small-time agencies) I was invited to go up to my rooms on the fifth floor. Once again, after showing signs of an unfriendly personality and character I got another tour operator, also five feet tall, to take the suitcases and do the dirty work of climbing the stairs.

The promise was a trek with great views and a visit to the famous Monkey Beach.

Neither was memorable. Tropical heat and humidity in the middle of the jungle to make the hike twice the reported time, plus a beach with intolerant monkeys due to the invasion of local and foreign tourists, did not match the expectations after the magical sunset the day before. But the good part was done.

The next morning, before returning to the port for the four-hour Asian highway to Hanoi, we crossed the floating city of Cua Van, a fishing village whose particularity and characteristics restored my lost attention.

In Ha Long Bay, it is advisable to hire the most expensive tours from serious agencies with good ratings on recognized travel sites; otherwise, dreadful surprises are sure to catch up with you.

So, what better than to enjoy the sunset in one of the natural wonders of the world in comfort! If the budget only allows for barges like the ones I have told you about, then be cautious and patient (very patient), keep your passport safe, relax and enjoy as if you were going with the flow.