Hanoi Trip day 4: Halong bay

After a night of refreshing sleep on V'spirit, we woke up to the water of Halong Bay glittering under the morning sun outside of our cabin window. As we went to the dinning room, most guests were already digging into breakfast, which consisted of eggs, bacon, toast, cakes and fruits. The tai chi class in the early morning has got the appetite worked up for a lot of them. 

We also got our share of exercise in the form of kayaking at Luon Cave. Through a tunnel-like entrance of the cave, we entered an area enclosed by limestone formations covered by trees. The scenery was lovely and we even spotted a group of monkeys climbing up and down the rocks. For those who did not wish to flex their muscles, they were given the option to sit back on a boat while someone rowed them around the area. It was a lovely spot for kayaking and I wished we got more than the allocated 45 minutes there.

Next on the itinerary was a "cooking class", which did not actually involve any cooking. After a brief demonstration by a member of the ship crew, each of us made our very own Vietnamese spring rolls by rolling up the various ingredients with the rice paper. They were the perfect morning tea after our morning exercise

The rest of the morning was spent peacefully on the sun deck enjoying the beautiful Halong Bay and the glorious weather.

Passing by fishing village and the famous "Kissing rock"

After a simple lunch, the V'spirit brought us back to the ferry terminal, from where we began another long bus journey of 4 hours back to Hanoi. Our hotel was the second last stop and we could not be happier to get out of the bus.

There was so much in Hanoi left to see and to eat for only one more evening so we decided to try as many different stalls as possible rather than settling for one restaurant.

We stumbled on a street kitchen serving "Bánh cuốn", a type of steamed rolls made of rice with a filling of minced pork and mushrooms served with pork sausage, pork floss, dried garlic and a sweet and sour dipping sauce. 

We have passed by Noodle and Roll many times and we were happy that we finally went in for a quick bite. The dry noodles were covered with ingredients such as crushed peanuts, bean sprouts, crispy lettuce, lightly seasoned pork and herbs such as cilantro, mint and basil. All the ingredients were mixed with a delicate sauce of lime, fish sauce, sugar and chilli to give an explosion of flavours.

The night market was set up along Hang Dao and Hang Ngang every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening. Apart from the typical souvenirs, watches, accessories and clothes, we did not find many vendors that interested us, apart from one selling chicken and beef skewers.

We could not help but end our night with one last bowl of pho. And it did not disappoint.