The day started early with a tai chi lesson which I skipped in favour of taking photos up on deck. As the light lifted in the morning it revealed the beautiful limestone islands blanketed in fog. The only sound was of the water gently swishing against the boat and the occasional motor from a fishing boat passing by.
There was coffee and tea to enjoy while everyone got ready for a kayaking adventure. What a stunning way to start the day with a paddle over the calm waters of Frog Bay in Hai Phong. This was the most memorable experience of the whole trip. There were so many amazing experiences but this was the ultimate, once in a life time opportunity which there was no way I was going to miss. I may have been feeling not fit enough having recently had surgery and I was sore for days after but it was so worth it.
Sadly shortly after our kayak we rose anchor for the sail back to Ha Long Bay Harbour and our transfer to land.
There was time for a quick shower and to pack our overnight bags and prepare for our trip back to the harbour to make our way back to Ha Noi.
To ease the pain of leaving we were treated to another amazing meal on board as well as some more stunning scenery. Breakfast or really brunch choices inlcuded tradional Vietnamese soup in chicken or beef, I had the Pho Bà (beef) which was delicious.
While we waited to get back to our smaller boat to transfer to land there was time for short stroll around the boat to admire the craftsmanship one last time.
After arriving back at the wharf we then make the 200km return trip to Ha Noi for our last night in Vietnam.