Hanoi to Ha Long Bay

July 15, 2016

Hanoi to Ha Long Bay

Day 21 – July 4, 2016

Monday

Happy 4^th of July from Vietnam! I never thought I would be in Vietnam on the 4^th of July. I am so grateful to live in America and have the freedom to travel and the freedom to come home and live a life that I can determine.

This boat is so cool! It is a small Junk boat with only 4 cabins and our family are the only passengers. Along with a small crew of the captain, a mechanic, a chef, two waiters/housekeeping staff and an English-speaking guide. The kids settled quickly into their tiny below-deck cabins, which are completely made of stained wood with a raised platform that holds two twin size mattresses (that can be separate or pushed together to make a king), a small built-in cupboard and a bathroom with a shower and toilet. The ocean side has two large windows that take up the entire wall and the interior side has a bedside sliding panel door/window that can be opened up to the hallway. Forward from the cabins, on the bow of the boat is a small interior dining area and mini bar. Above the cabins are a dining deck with a covered middle area with a dining room sized table that seats eight. This is where we eat when the weather is decent. A few steps up from the dining table are two raised sun decks with loungers to enjoy the scenery and fresh air. I think the crew must sleep below our cabins in the engine room but I only see wooden hatches with light coming through the cracks. The captain sleeps on a mattress just behind the steering wheel.

We did a little bit of kayaking this afternoon. We had only been kayaking for about fifteen minutes when Mikey pulled his hand out of the water screaming like he’d been bit by a shark! I knew he had been stung by a jelly-fish. We caught up to the guide as fast as we could (Mikey and I were together in a kayak) and told him we’d have to head back. So I paddled back to the boat with Mikey while the others stayed and kayaked with Dung (pronounced Zoong). Poor Mikey was hurting so bad. I know how bad a jellyfish sting hurts. I have been stung countless times while working on the Daybreak in the San Juan Islands. And I’ve been stung all over my back and shoulder by blue bubble jellyfish in Hawaii. It kills! But there’s really not a whole lot you can do besides wait it out. As I paddled back Mikey was trying to take deep breaths. “Stay Positive,” he kept telling himself in between agonizing screams, gritted teeth, and deep breathing. “At least I’ll have a good story to tell,” he said between breaths. “I’m not even crying, Mom.” I kept reassuring him and trying to distract him with other things while I paddled as fast as I could back to the boat. He was so adorable while he tried so hard to be brave and strong.

At the boat the crew alternately put lime juice and rubbed ice on his arm. It didn’t seem to be helping very much while he screamed with pain. But no tears. After a few minutes I could tell that the treatment wasn’t really working so I ran to my cabin and got the lavender oil. It didn’t take the pain entirely away but it helped a lot and he was able to calm down and rest. I bought him a little package of pringles and we snuggled on the loungers on the deck while he dried off and watched Alladin on the ipad. Poor kid!

We passed the rest of the evening playing chess and card games. (I kind of love that there is no wifi). We talked through dinner and played “sibling trivia” and answered questions like “If you lived 100 years ago, what would you have wanted your job to be?” We also had some meltdowns from the littles who are totally wound-up from the day of traveling yesterday and today. But all’s well that ends well and we ended on a good note.

Our luxury van to Ha Long Bay.

Isaac loving his $3 hot chocolate.

Mikey being so tough with his jellyfish sting.

In recovery.

An hour or so later. Finally feeling better.

The crew returning from kayaking.

Isaac crashed on the way back and took a great nap in the kayak while we jumped off the boat and swam.

Watch out for jellyfish! A few times we had to get out of the water and wait for the jellyfish to pass before swimming again. Dung, our guide, kept watch for us to warn us of upcoming jellyfish.