Halong Bay Trip

My husband and myself left for Halong Bay from Hanoi in the morning. We had no idea about this place before. The trip was arranged by Mrs Ha Thao –sales and Marketing manager of Joy Journey Hotel,our place of stay in Hanoi. And we are so grateful to them for suggesting us this trip. I guess a trip to Vietnam would have been incomplete,if one does not visit Halong Bay.

Halong bay is 4hours drive from the city of Hanoi. The consists of a dense cluster of some 1600 limestone monolithic islands each topped with thick jungle vegetation, rising  from the ocean and is one of Asia`s vast spectacular wonders. Designated a World Heritage site in 1994,it  is a vision of ethereal beauty and northern Vietnam`s number one tourism hub.

We reached in the afternoon. After waiting for sometime, we were taken to a large boat. Welcome drinks were served on our arrival on the boat. Here we met our Guide  Mr. Thang(not sure with the spelling), who briefed us about our schedule and things we will be doing at the Island. Here we met people from different parts of the world.

Janice and May mui are from USA of Chinese origin, Beate from Germany, Tamar and Lital from Israel.

After hogging on some delicious Vietnamese lunch ,we checked our rooms and freshened up and headed to Thien Cung Cave.

 We were astonished by the very animated and splendid beauty which is made from stalactite. It is one of the most magical caves as its name we have seen. Once visiting Thien Cung cave you will have a sensation of just having seen a unique and interesting fine-art museum which is created by nature. It is a perilous one and pictures are beyond imagination and intellect of the human beings.

Evening time was for kayaking. It was another experience of a lifetime. We went  Kayaking around hidden caves, secret lagoons, going where big boats cannot. Its an absolute paradise for nature lovers.

After kayaking for about 45 minute, we were back to the boat. Talking to our new friends and Watching a magnificent sunset from sundeck was so relaxing for the body and mind, I wish we could spend some more days like that.

The real beauty of Halong bay is best experienced abroad an island cruise. There are many cruise boats ply the emerald sea and spending at least one night on the bay is a must. Ended our 1^st day with delicious Vietnamese dinner.

Next day morning we were taken to another island. Upon reaching we were given bicycles to explore a nearby village. I have not ride a bicycle for ages, so was not comfortable riding one and it was same with my new friend May. So we got hold of a local guy, who took us there and back in his scooty. The village propitiously welcoming us with its curvy mountain lane. We felt as if we were at our village back home.

Later in the evening we reached Catba Island. We all stayed at different hotels. After resting for some time, we went for an evening stroll, visited the local market and said our final good buy to Jenice and May. It was so wonderful meeting them and hope we meet them again very soon. (In fact we did plan to meet May on our visit to Sanfransisco, she invited us for dinner also, but things didn’t work and we couldn’t meet.)

With Jenice and May Mui

Next day morning we left for Hanoi with a stopover at an island for lunch with around 20 strangers.

Finally we reached Hanoi at around 5 in the evening. It was one of the best tour and the best part was meeting so many new people.

Halong bay and Cat Ba Island is photographers paradise. It has stunning natural scenery and ideal for capturing magnificent photos, specially during sunrise and sunset.

The Boat Family

IIFA Diaries 2012,Singapore

IIFA Award for Best Sound Design for the movie Ra.One.

Mr.Amrit Pritam Dutta With his IIFA Award.

Mr.Amrit Pritam with his Wife.

Malacca Tour

                                                                       

-->

We headed for Malacca aka Melaca, after spending a splendid week in Singapore. Melaca was not on our itinerary list as we had not heard of this place before. It was our friend who suggested not to miss this third smallest Malaysian State.

And I am glad we took the decision of visiting Mallacca. Malacca is 245 km from Singapore and 148 km from Kualampur. It has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7th July 2008. The state capital Malacca town, is strategically located between the two national capitals in Malaysia and Singapore and connected with excellent roads and highways.

About Malacca:

-->

Malacca is 245 km from Singapore and 148 km from Kualampur. It has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7th July 2008. The state capital Malacca town, is strategically located between the two national capitals in Malaysia and Singapore and connected with excellent roads and highways.

According to a popular legend, when Parameswara stopped under a tree near a river (Malacca river) while hunting,  one of his hunting dogs was pushed by a mouse deer when the later was defending herself, the dog fell into the river. Impressed by the courage of the deer, Parameswara took this as a propitious sign of the weak overcoming the powerful and decided to build his new kingdom on that spot naming it Malacca after the tree under which he had been resting.

-->

We took a bus with only 4 passengers on board. My husband and myself and two gentlemen. The bus left at its scheduled departure time. There was no stoppage in between except one at the check post, where we had to get down to the immigration process. The bus was waiting for us while we clear customs and immigration. It took 3 hours to reach the Malacca Sentral bus station. From there we took panorama bus no. 17 to Stadthuys. We followed the directions mentioned in Lonelyplanet.com to reach our guesthouse which we had booked at Riverone Guest House over the internet.

At Malacca Sentral Bus Station.

About Riverone Guesthouse:

-->

Riverone guesthouse is located along the Malacca river and it is only 10 minutes walk to most of the tourist spots. The guest house provides shared dining area with kitchen utensils and free coffee & tea 24hrs, free WiFi, shared bathroom with 24hrs hot and cold shower, free bicycle rental and currency exchange upon request. The rooms are very clean. 

Inside view of the guesthouse

                                                                                 View of Malacca river from the guesthouse.

The kitchen

The kitchen.

Day 1:

After resting for some time, we went for an evening stroll along the Malacca River. We enjoyed the fantastic street and artistic view of houses with amazing, vividly colored murals by local artists.

With a local artist.

With a local artist.

There are many bars and cafes along the river. We were lucky to find a wonderful restaurant beside the river. Little moma`s restaurant. We spent our evening at Malacca, relaxing in the restaurant over some drinks followed by dinner. 

Dinner at Little Momma`s restaurant.

At Little Momma

Day 2:

Breakfast at Little Momma

Breakfast at Little Momma

Glimpses of the great city had us intrigued & ready to explore, next day. Beauty of Malacca city lies in its beauty and historical background and architecture.

Heavily decorated bicycle rickshaw in Mallaca

The famous places to visit are:

A famosa: fortress built by the Portugal admiral, Alfonso d` Albuquerque in 1511.

Christ Church

In front of Christ Chruch.

Stadthuys: it was built in 1650 as the official residence of Dutch governors and their officers.

St. john`s fort.

Taming Sari tower

View from  Taming Sari Tower

View from the tower

Inside Taming Sari Tower

Malacca Sultanate Palace (cultured museum).

       Malacca Sultanate Palace

 

-->

As dusk fell, it was time to go for a Malacca River cruise. Malacca River cruise gets a feel of as if we are in Venice.. One can see the multi-cultural and historical fabric of the country. Diverse architecture, along its banks, warehouses, temples, churches, mosques and Malay village can be seen. Touring time for Malacca River Cruise is about 45 minutes, covering a distance of 10 km. The boats are available daily at every thirty minute interval between the following times: 9.30am to 5pm and 6pm to 12 midnight. The cruise boat passes under many bridges.

Day 3:

Night Market

-->

Visit to Malacca would have been incomplete without visiting the Jonker walk night market. Malacca night market opens only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 6 pm to 12 midnight. There are lots of stalls that sell unique arts and crafts, souvenirs, jewelry etc along the Jonker street. Delicious food and entertainment can be enjoyed over there.

Spending 3 days was not enough as we couldn’t cover all the tourists’ places, but would love to come here again and again. It was indeed the kind of ending we had dreams of.