Paradise Peak Cruise left Tuan Chau island when the wharf was still full of sunshine. To have 2 day and 1 night tour on this 5-star cruise to enjoy the magnificent beauty of Ha Long Bay, tourists have to pay US$ 1,000-1,500/pax. This price is absolutely not expensive for being served as a King, a waiter said.
Ha Long Bay in “Swan’s eyes”
Swan Navy- a Norwegian girl, who is the cruise manager, welcomed 16 European and American tourists and I to the Paradise Peak cruise with a beautiful smile. This is the second time I have overnight-stayed in Ha Long Bay, but the first time I have ever had a chance to stay on such a 5 star luxurious cruise.
The cruise slowly headed to Sung Sot cave. All of the 16 tourists left their rooms and tried to find the best position to take photographs. Nga -a translator and I sat in the bar chatting with each other. She is 27 years old and has just graduated from a university in Switzerland. She studied hotel management and has worked in Paradise Cruise Company for 2 months.
For her, in this trip she aims to learn experiences and practise working skills. Nga passionately talked about the landscape of Ha Long Bay as talking about her homeland. She said: “Ha Long is very beautiful. Every day, I accompany visitors on fixed tour and show them the same things but to me it is not boring at all”. I smiled and told her that she doesn’t need to talk anymore as if she was not the manager, or doing in tourism business, she would be already good enough to become a writer because all of what she had just said is the best description of the Ha Long Bay.
The lunch on cruise was mostly seafood from the sea of Quang Ninh that really satisfied tourists as they could admire magnificent scenery of Ha Long Bay while enjoying delicious foods. The cruise drove them through a group of well-known islets, namely Ga Choi (Fighting Cocks), Cho Da (Stone Dog) and Lu Huong (Incense pots) and hundreds of unnamed islets and islands.
The sea at night
15.30: Tourists came back to the cruise after visiting Sung Sot cave. We then moved to Titov island and Luon cave. Mr. and Mrs. Andreas Bloechl-Sandra Enka (from Germany) shared that this was the first time they had been to Vietnam. They were really surprised of the stunning scenery of Ha Long Bay.
17.00, when the sun set, the Paradise cruise anchored just few meters from Soi Sim island. This is also where the tourists stayed overnight on the Bay.
Before having dinner, tourists were taught how to make some popular Vietnamese dishes, such as spring rolls, squid ball, noodles...The dinner started at 7pm. It was really great to enjoy beautiful foods in a peaceful sea and under the moonlight.
After having dinner, people tried to find a private place for themselves. On this cruise, there were many entertainment options for tourists, for example: playing chess, watching movies, karaoke or relaxing with spa. My friend - Long invited me to try catching squids and I am very excited as I have never tried this before.
23.30, it was getting windy. We caught nothing but Long suggested me to buy the fresh seafood from a fishermen to have a small party at night. While Long and other people were preparing for the meal, I went to the deck, feeling the wind blowing my hair. Perhaps, almost of tourists also felt and enjoyed the silence and loneliness in front of the vast sea at that night. However, that feeling quickly disappeared when a new day came on the Bay.
Article by: TUY PHONG
