July 24th, 2017
Halong day 2
Ok. The the “being up for Thai chi at 6:30am” was a total joke. I was up at 5:45am but not because I had any intention of Thai chi. It was merely because I didn’t pull the drapes (intentionally) so I could see the view when I woke up. But of course the light coming in woke me a little on the early side. But we did have to be up and at breakfast by 7am, so it was all good planning in my opinion. When I first looked out upon waking, it was quite foggy/misty or something like that. Not rain but certainly not clear. By 6:15 it has cleared substantially and I was holding high hopes for improving conditions. I was the first to get into the dining room as I was excited about the coffee. All the food you can imagine is included in this cruise, but it’s a set menu style so we have to buy all drinks, including water. Yikes. Went round and round with the staff at supper last night to try to get a jug of water, but to no avail. I pay $1.50 for each bottle of water I want. BUT what I did get out of this conversation last night was that breakfast is a buffet style so coffee is no charge. So I’m going to drink my body weight in coffee (that’s my plan).
Breakfast was good, challenging to get a fried egg-the competition with the Chinese tourists was stiff. They will just push you out of the way and to be honest we are just plain out numbered…at 7:35am Kent came by and told Steph, Lilly and Andy they had to be ready to go in 10 minutes. Their cage trip was scheduled for 7:45am yikes. Good byes in 10 minutes 😥as we would be gone on our day trip kayaking before they returned from theirs. Boo. Hard to say good bye to new friends, but we have exchanged information and will stay in touch. Stephanie should be in Seattle sometime in the next couple of weeks for a day or two so we will have a chance to see her again on home turf before she heads to Minnesota.
So us and one other (Chinese) family are the only people on this boat that are staying for the second day. So we gather a the back of the boat and wait for our day trip boat to pick us up. We see the wander off and come back with water. Hmmmmm. Those folks figure out how to score the free water?? So Troy follows suit and learns that there is a lady a a desk that will give you water if you ask. So he and I both score a free bottle. Then we get on the day boat and they give us a plastic bag with water for the day (I presume). Yay!!!!! Prolly water for the whole group, but when none of the other passengers come get any, I fill my day bag at the end of the trip so I’m covered for Joe. I have a stash of at least 6 bottles now. 😂😂
We cruised out somewhere in the bay, the weather took a turn for the worse. Lots of thunder and the rain started. BOO!!!!!!
The plan was for kayaking. And quite a lengthy kayak trip at that. But they gave us rain ponchos (aka-body condom) and sent us off. It was wet but not cold, so as much as I was sort of dreading it, I’m glad I did it. It was really scenic and tranquil. Lots of garbage in the water though. So sad. All plastic and styrofoam. And I know now what plastic is doing to our oceans and our fish and it is really bad!! On the way back we saw a coupe guys on a flat bottomed boat scooping garbage out of the ocean, and collecting it in bags. Nice initiative…have not seen that in other countries. But on the other hand, I think this is close to the most garbage I have seen in water anywhere in 9 years here too, so it seems fitting they would do something about it.
A lunch was presented that was WAY too much food! There was only 8 of us on the boat (we had stopped to pick up a couple from the Calypso – and guess who it was?? The crazy lady that insisted on being downgraded to a smaller boat) when we were out kayaking, they set two tables – for 4. So give me that the other family was 4, Troy deduced that we would be sitting with the crazy people for lunch. Sure enough we were. Sam and Dan, and man were they odd. I don’t know what their story is, they are not together, but they travel together, he is clearly gay and she is clearly crazy. He’s American with a house in Hollywood and she’s from south Africa. She is a freelance graphic artist, he has been pre-tired for a year and a half (looked mid to late 30s at the Most) anyway, it was the oddest one sided conversation we have ever had with people we have met while traveling. When the crew served the fruit for dessert, they slid an envelope onto the table that asked for a happy tip. So we had to listen to them prattle back and forth about who had money, they had no money, what did he do with the “pocket change” she gave him? He gave it back….etc etc. They said they needed to go up top bcz crazy lady gets seasick, so they walked off and left us with the envelope. Troy says to me “how are they going to pay for the beer?” No idea……I wasn’t going to front them, and they didn’t ask….
After the physicality of the kayaking 😂😂I somehow felt I deserved a nap on the way back, so I did, not much to report from the inside of my eyelids…..
Back to the starlight by 3pm and we had the boat to ourselves as the new passengers picked up while were on day trip must have all been in their cabins? When they made the announcement for fishing trip/Kayaking we passed and decided to just stay stretched out on the loungers on the sun deck as it has now started to be quite nice. Not full sun, but bright enough to very pleasant!
Then after the down is so new people went off, we truly had the whole place to ourselves!
Passed on the spring roll cooking today, but sure got in on the eating, and oh ya…..decided to get into happy hour today. Just sitting down to supper now. Food food food. We will do this meal and then probably just head off to bed. Apparently there is another storm coming so we have to head back to port a few minutes early tomorrow morning. Need to be back in port by 11 apparently.
TTFN
