Halong Bay – Kayakking in the Morning & The Infamous Snake Wine !!!
April 21, 2009 | 256 views| 35 Comments » |
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Continued from Halong Bay – Of Caves, Grottoes, and ALMOST Frost-bitten ….
1) Who cares if the bench is worn, weathered a storm, or battered?
2) Awaken ‘forcefully’ at 6.30am (7.30am Malaysian time) for some “Rowing Exercise” …The night was spent on the boat, a very chilly sleep, yet very fruitful and comforting. Electricity was shut down in the middle of the night, until the next morning. There was simply no place for fans or air-conds, as the temperature was really low.
When all the lights were off, hindrance came in the form of toilet break in the middle of the night. Whoops. Amidst the pitch black atmosphere, one can only wander around aimlessly …..
3) Breakfast on boat – The soft, fluffy bread was a pleasant surpriseKayakking was on our itinerary, whereby we were ferried to an enclave of sorts, a plank housing boats for that morning’s activity. Two to a boat, in case you’re wondering.
No picture was taken during the wandering part, as for fear of being wet, I left my camera in the boat. But the supposedly one hour odyssey took a bit longer than expected, no thanks to the energy-less ones (we have yet to take our breakfast), and lack of directions from the guide. We rowed to the opposite end before realising we were off the track. Hmm …. Highlights include kayakking through a cave of sorts, to a secluded ‘lake’ where we rested for a few minutes and soaked in the cool morning breeze, and calm waters.
4) Where the ‘transaction’ took place …. or more like ‘trafficking’
5) A mess? Clash of the Junks.
After breakfast, we were hurried to pack up, and ‘check-out’ from our rooms. Though lunch was still some hours away, they had to clean the rooms, and prepare for the next batch of guests. It was a rush, especially when the water pressure was low, and showering was tedious.
Then we waited at the common area, while our boat proceeded to a station when tourists who stayed on land (those who chose to stay at the village, instead of on the boats) hitchhiked on our boat, travelling back to the pier together.
6) One destination, one goal.
7) That interesting cleavage.
The foggy weather + Numbing wind = Only the Brave on the Deck
9) The sheer number of boats was staggering
10) The Hungry Travellers
11) Lunch @ Thang Long Restaurant – Where ALL the other tourists on boats or land ate in a jubilant mood, a sense of camaraderie in the air when we shared tables, and dishes. Drinks NOT included, btw.
12) Dare Me to Drink? – Ingredients include snakes, birds (+feathers!), lizards, etc
13) Eyeballs gauged, and skins intact …. do you have a Heart of Steel?
14) Goodbye Halong Bay ……
Hey, when did u go to Halong Bay la?? recently? or is this another archived post, hehe! Very pretty pics – almost surreal!
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so did you drink the snake wine or not? whats it for? libido?
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ewwwwwwww only for the brave at heart
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some bizzare drink…..of course not my cup of tea…haha…btw, very very preserved place-Halong Bay- superb view
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Very nice scenery indeed! And the number of boats was really humongous! I am surprised you didn’t face with traffic jam. LOL
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So did you?
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Yalor. Got yam-seng or not?
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Totally Agree..The simple Bread+Jam+Butter breakfast was one of the best meals we had over there =)…Hehe..Or Maybe isit because we have not had this kind of meal since…ages? =)
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I just lost my appetite. =(
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*faint* o.o
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Woooo, I didn’t try the alcohol, wanted to buy it though. But i guess that Air Asia won’t allow it
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PureGlutton : erm, this happened in late Feb actually. i’m procrastinating like no other eh?
FBB : dunno the health benefits lah, but one thing for sure, i dun wanna be slurping snake skin, bird’s feathers and lizard’s claws into my mouth!!
kampungboycitygal : yeah, definitely. i wont risk a tummy ache during the 3-4 hours journey back to town!
simplegirl : yeah, had it not been that cloudy/foggy, the view would be nicer.
iamthewitch : no traffic lah … the bay is very very vast!
UnkaLeong : I chickened out. =P
Tummythoz : mou yam seng lah … that humongous jar i think more for aesthetic purpose than anything else.
mboy : yeah, funny eh? such simple breakfast, but we were digging into them like ravenous wolves.
Bangsar Babe : whoopsie. but least good for one on diet?
mimid3vils : DONT!
Leonard Loh : i highly doubt AA will let their passengers aboard with that terrifying brew!
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Hey, your pic#5 reminded me of RED CLIFF!
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wow… after seeing your post on Halong bay makes me want to go….. hahahhahahha
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Oooh, all those snakes and fangs and scales! And folks complain about my recent Hanoi post being gruesome. LOL
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cariso : hahaha .. the Battle at Chi Bi?
Food Paradise : then pay attention to Air Asia’s offers from now on.
Life for Beginners : ahem, a comparison here eh? gruesome can be deciphered in many ways. one being gruesome-ly poetic. hehe …
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Only had the same question running thru as the rest of the troop… you didn’t drink it, ahhhh… so I’m not the only one challenged by scales and all.
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actually, it was nice to drink the snake wine during Nov – Jan period in VN. It does really warm you up and especially if you tag along with the vietnamese to eat their so called GOAT HOT POT . . . .everything in including the penis, testicles, etc . . . .
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gosh… those snakes gave me goosebumps ;P
i won’t dare to try
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550ml jar of faith : cannot lah … i didnt wanna risk vomitting throughout the journey. hehe …
FoodCrazee : Goat hot pot?! with all exotic parts. actually, drinking the wine WITHOUT lookin at the real contents, doesnt sound so bad also.
Christine : haha … neither did i.
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Feel so peaceful and relax admiring all the beautiful scenery in this post
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I love Halong Bay…. It’s so beautiful!!! And you really captured so nicely with your camera
Snake wine? Ewwwww….
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ck lam : somethin different from the scenes in the office right?
Selba : thanks. yeah, snake wine, as exotic as it may sound, some Chinese love them to bits.
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haha, i think the heart of steel will only kick in after taking a sip of that..hehehe..
2 posts on halong bay this month! (the other from kenny)..woah, gonna check airasia for promos d!
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kenot tahan the snake wine lor. disgusting!
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Nic : tempting leh … for a split sec there, I thought the kenny was another kenny. =P dun tell him ah …
allie : hahaha … like Fear Factor of sorts. but something the Viet may be loving a lot!
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aiyah.. i was waiting for the kayaking pics.. but true also.. kena water then bye bye to the cam
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omg those poor creatures.
I mean, I believe in the circle of life and all that, but it’s still quite sad, ain’t it?
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i almost fainted and brought shiver to my spine at the last 2 pictures. i will not ever drink those things!!! yuckssss!
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Snakes, vermin and birds (new to me) wine. Add songs?! Enjoyed the comprehensive coverage.
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if only u guys are there to see them skin the snake and thenhang them round to dry like clothes. . .near the beach. . . what an ugly sight . . .
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teckiee : yeahloh. some more dun have waterproof pouch or whatever. but you can almost imagine kayakking in the cool weather, for about an hour n half.
btw, the snake wine must be calling to ya, was it not?!!
Lyrical Lemongrass : yeah, some more all of the wildest of the lot. gotta have guts.
YiLingL : definitely something exotic.not for everyone eh?
worldwindows : thanks for the patience. the finale coming very soon.
FoodCrazee : ouch, that must have been a cruel sight.
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haha….’to be continued ….. (for the very last chapter, I promise !!!)’…dats farny.alrite then.wait for ur final chapter.yeap!yeap…2 destinations back to back.damn broke d.aarrgghh….dun wana think bout it.anyway thanks again for the posted stories n pics,ya!luv it.
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Beautiful sceneries! Love all the photos here except the snake. Yikes!
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Anonymous : 2 destinations? wah … so lucky lah. manyak kaya lah lu …
foongpc : except the snakes? awww … no lurve for the snake wine then?
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