Halong Bay.... the long way around!

Well we are in Halong City at an expensive restaurant drinking lots of coffee to make use of their free internet. We can see the gorgeous islands of Halong Bay but alas we are stuck here for the night unless we feel like stumping up with US$100 (not likely) for a private boat. We missed the ferry due to a series of unfortunate (and in retrospect comical) events.

We farewelled Duan and Tu Kien from their house this morning as they were off to visit Duan's family for the weekend. We were undecided whether to brave the horrendous weather (see previous posts that I will load when I get access to a computer that will let me insert my flash drive) and risk a trip to Halong or stay home (in hanoi)and just relax and be cosy out of the rain.

We decided to risk it and head off into the rain to find a taxi. Luggage in tow we managed to find roads that were not past our knees flooded to cross and when it started to pour again we flagged down a taxi. This is the first event. We are now soaked to the skin, with wet luggage in tow. I thought I had managed to communicate via my vietnamese phrasebook and our map that we wanted to go to My Dinh bus station. Apparently we hadn't as he dropped us off in a place with no buses and pointed to the right further down the road. He wouldn't go any further as the flood water was too high.

Righto, I thought in my bravest Kiwi style. Let's go Sky. (Sky had stayed in doors all of yesturday watching a Simpsons Halloween Marathon instead of getting soaked with her mad mother out in the pouring rain taking photos) so the flood was new and exciting for her. She rolled up her pants, I hitched up my dress and off we set. I don't mind getting wet, I don't even mind getting wet in dirty water but it gets a bit treacherous when you are negotiating your way along third world, pot holed roads and paths when you can't see where you are putting your feet! We had a few close calls but managed to keep our luggage above water most of the time. After carrying on like this for a couple of Kilometers and still not finding any sign of a bus stop, we flagged down a taxi that was going in the opposite direction.

We were a bit bedraggled by this point and absolutely dripping wet but the taxi driver didn't mind as he already had about 10cm of water sloshing about on the floor of his car. Turns out he spoke good english and was an expert flood water driver so the ride was really fun and lightened our mood immensely. He delivered us to the bus stop and we only had to wade across one road to start hunting for our bus.

We couldn't find the entrance so made like locals and climbed through a spot where the bars had been stretched a little apart. I'm not sure I would have fitted through 7 weeks ago!

Anyway we were spotted by a local who asked us where we were going and ushered us to a bus that didn't have the corresponding signs I was looking for. They assured me it was going to halong and that it would cost 8 fingers held up - I took this to mean 80,000 and said no and went to walk away. Someone quickly whipped out a ticket and showed me 65,000 which is what I had been told. I double checked that it was going to ha long and then we climbed aboard. I checked with the driver that it was indeed 65,000 to which he hastily agreed, making a great joke about it with the locals although I couldn't tell what he was saying. It was only when we stopped half way and I spotted the very swish bus that we were supposed to be on that I figured that the 8 fingers meant 8,000 dong and I had insisted upon paying 65,000! Duh! Actually, despite it being a bit cramped it was a bargain for 80c and not a bad way to travel at all. At least I now know which bus to catch back to hanoi!

We didn't even get taken right to the city, we had to catch a further taxi and got accosted as soon as we arrived by someone who could give us a bed and book our boat and .....

We were totally skeptical and fatigued so I got rid of him by taking his card and telling him that we needed a look around first. It turns out that he is recommended by the few people I have asked so we may just go and spend the night there. I was keen for a beach sleep but the look on skys face was a definate "NO WAY IN HELL!" so beds indoors with air conditioning it is.....