Over lunch we discussed the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami and inquired about the Japanese kids' families. The Korean boy was studying in Japan, and the Vietnamese man owned a travel agency. The Canadian women lived in Quebec and did not speak a lot of English, but we got by and quickly learned that they were very funny. The boat sailed as we ate lunch and got better acquainted.
G- Holy crap! Theirs are just bones. That's funny. (We passed our fish down to the other end of the table where the remaining meat was promptly devoured.)
After lunch we went up to the top deck and watched, in awe, as we slid past limestone, Karst mountains jutting up from the bay. We were somewhat disappointed about the weather, but the fog gave a certain serenity to the area. The water was beautiful, but nothing prepared us for the shade of green around Bo Hon Island, the location of Sung Sot Cave, at the center of Ha Long Bay. We disembarked and began the climb up the steps to the cave's entrance. Phyllis complained in English and the Canadians complained in French. The Asians scampered up the steps as though walking across flat land. I focused on taking photos, my favorite pastime.
Sung Sot Cave means Cave of Surprises, so named by the French who "discovered" it after invading Vietnam.
P- Wow! This is incredible!
G- This room is cavernous. It may be the biggest one I've seen.
G- This one is definitely bigger, but I think the quality of the stalagmites and stalactites in that one was higher.
P- What's the tour guide saying?
G- He's pointing out formations and telling you what they look like.........turtle, bird, dragon, penis....
P- He said penis?
G- No, he just inferred it and smiled.
P- You know men, everything reminds them of a penis.
P- Where are the Canadian women?
G- They went up ahead in that group with the French speaking tour guide.
The cave consisted of 3 chambers and we toured them in about an hour. We emerged from the cave at a much higher location than where we entered and the view of the bay was spectacular!! After picture taking, we climbed back down the many stairs and waited for a tender to pick us up and return us to our boat which was moored at a floating fish market and kayak staging area.
G- Do you want to kayak? I'm not so sure we should kayak together.
G- Hello! We can't get on a wave runner together without flipping it over and getting into an argument. I'm thinking that skinny little kayak will bring us the same joy and that water is too damn cold to flip over into.
P- We kayaked down the Colorado River together without flipping over. I'm sure you haven't forgotten that horrible 11 mile trip into the headwind.
G- No, I'll never forget that, but it was hot and we were wearing bathing suits. Whatever, I don't want to kayak anyway; we're only here for 30 minutes and that's too short of a time to go anywhere. Besides, I want to see what's going on at the floating fish market.
P- Look at the size of those fish in that netted area. I wonder what they are.
We watched as someone from our boat pointed at his selected fish. The market worker scooped it out with a large net and dropped it on the dock.
G- Are they gonna carry it back to the kitchen while it's alive?
P- Maybe they have a bucket of water. That's what they usually keep them in until they're ready to clean them.
G- Argh!!!!! They just clubbed it over the head.
P- Ugh!!! I didn't have to see that. Ick!!!
G- OMG! Couldn't they just cut its head off in one clean motion? Did they have to club it to death?
G- The Canadian women would be freaked out too, but they're napping.
P- Yes, please, take it away so I don't have to witness anymore of this. I'll be happy to eat it, but I don't want to watch you club it to death.
G- I watched my grandpa beat a catfish to death on his peer at his camp on Lake Catherine. It had sliced that fleshy part of his hand between the thumb and index finger. He cursed it like crazy as blood spurted out of his hand. Made quite an impression on me.
P- He should've rubbed the gook on its belly on the wound. It would have made it heal faster. That really works.
G- Look at the huge crabs in that area. I'd love to eat them tonight.
G- That's ok, I can wait until we get home and eat some boiled blue lake crabs.
After the fish clubbing and the kayaking, we sailed to the bay where we would moor for the night. Phyl and I sat on our balcony drinking a bottle of Da Lat wine we had purchased in Hanoi.
P- I wish we could drink this with dinner.
G- Me too, but I'm not paying 3 times as much as the bottle cost for a corkage fee.
Besides, we're from Nola and we don't go anywhere without our wine and beer opener.
P- Always gotta have a way to get into our liquor.
I think that it goes without saying that Asians LOVE karaoke and mere seconds after the table was cleared, the karaoke machine was pulled out. We were each given books of song choices, in our native tongues, and the quiet Vietnamese couple wasted no time in grabbing the microphone and singing the first few songs. Then the bartender sang a song or 2 before the Canadians sang 1 in French. We joined in for the parts we knew and the whole table was swaying back and forth to the French song. The kids were too shy to sing, and the Vietnamese couple grabbed the microphones again.
P- I've had enough of them!
G- They need to stop singing these damn love songs and pick something upbeat.
P- They're a buzz kill! Let's sing this Shania Twain song.
G- Groan, I don't want to sing. You sing.
G- Ok. (to the Canadian women) Come on up here and dance. Let's get this party crankin!
Once the Canadians followed us to the dance area, everyone else got up and stood around as we sang "I feel like a woman". We had selected a second song, but instead of the song we selected, Michael Jackson's "Beat it!" came on and that was all she wrote. No one brings the world together like Michael! Just like Byonce brought 2 Americans, 2 Chinese boys, & a Dutchman together in Thailand, Michael, may he rest in peace, had everyone on our boat dancing. Once the dancing started, the karaoke stopped and they just kept playing dance music. The old ladies.............us and the 3 Canadians...........grabbed the Asian kids and danced with them like they've never been danced with before. They may never be the same.
We soon realized that our group had multiplied and looking around discovered that the guests and staff from the boat that was tied to us had come over to our boat and joined the party. At one point, 1 of the Canadian ladies was on the floor doing some kind of wiggle that threatened to herniate several of her discs. We had to help her up when she was done. We were all having a great time, but after an hour, the old girls began to tire.
I grabbed napkins off the table and handed them out as I told each person to follow Phyllis and do what she does. Phyl danced around the table several times, napkin spinning over her head, until everyone had gotten in line and was swinging their napkins accordingly, then she lead the second line all around the boat. Everyone was having a great time.
At 10:00 PM we had to stop dancing and turn off the music. Apparently our boat was the only one hosting a wild party and the noise was piercing the silence of the usually tranquil Ha Long Bay. No one seemed too disappointed as it had been a long day and we were all tired. The interlopers returned to their boat and we all went to our cabins. Silence was restored.
