Monday 5 December 2011

welcome aboard

 on the tender on our way out to Dragons Pearl 3 that was at anchor in the bay.

as we arrived at the Dragons Pearl 3 Junk out in the bay - by tender - we were warmly greeted by the staff:

We alighted and went immediately upstairs to wait for further instructions as to where we were to be located.  21 of us sitting around sipping fruit juice and listening to Hoang (AKA: Smiley) tell us about the itinerary, introducing us to the Captain and staff and going over the following three days of where we would be sailing.
 
 
So excited ...  so lets start sailing .....
We were shown our room which was very comfortable, keep in mind we are on a boat so we were not expecting anything large. We had a small but adequate bathroom attached. It was actually larger than we expected though.  Again, one must remember being on a boat has its limitations so if you are considering taking such a cruise ..... keep the luggage and packing to a minimum!  Everything was supplied inc soap, shampoo, (note: no conditioner) hairdryer, towels, robes, etc.

 
 
 
We quickly unpacked our few things, washed up and headed back on deck to have lunch.




Food on board was exceptional ...... for those that do not like Seafood, perhaps request another menu / choice at time of booking so the Chef can cater to your taste. The majority of food on board was Seafood ... including oysters, squid, prawns, clams, fish, crabs, salmon and then there were vegetables, beef, pork and chicken.

One of the nicest and tastiest soups I have ever had was the Red Bean and Lotus Seed Soup that we had for lunch, it was simply delicious!

after a long lunch we went to explore other parts of the ship including the 
passageway to the cabins downstairs as seen here:
 and the top sundeck as seen here:
  

we were soon leaving Halong City far behind and heading further out into Halong Bay itself:
I was in heaven!!

Then we went back to our room to check the 'view' from our windows:

 

and to relax and enjoy what the rest of the day had on offer, prior to another 10 course meal expected at dinner! 

Uh oh, no relaxing at all .......looks like kayaking is on the agenda.

 

HELPFUL WEBSITES FOR HANOI:
HANOI KIDS- volunteer tour guides - hotel can organise if you book well ahead.
KOTO Restaurant  - hotel can book a table for you.

This is the sixth blog postings of our visit to Hanoi and beyond. 

So stay tuned for more updates!!



3 comments:

Marg and Graham said...

I am so envious - memories, memories, memories - ENJOY!

Roxanne Saynac said...

I love travelling, which is obviously what you two are doing. Love reading your little adventures and seeing other travellers' pictures. Liking this cruise thing, and the room you got on the boat/ship is so cute! :)


xoxo,
Roxanne

alicesg said...

Nice coverage of your trip. Looked very interesting and fun. Am sure you enjoyed very much.