New Friends in Halong Bay
I’m coming to you live (via tape delay) from the bus on our way back from Halong Bay to Hanoi. Our stay on the Dragon’s Pearl for the last two days was fabulous. The bus picked us up from our hotel yesterday morning a little late but we were lucky because we were the last pickup so we headed straight to the bay (with one stop at a market half-way—I’m sure the tour company gets a commission for taking us there for 20 mins).
There was a group of 3 couples on our bus that are MBA students (and their wives) from INSEAD, a highly ranked MBA program in France. One couple is from Nigeria, but now live in Germany, another is from Brazil, and one is from Peru. They all moved to France to go to INSEAD and are currently on a 2 month exchange in Singapore so they have been traveling Southeast Asia on the weekends.
During our 3 and a half hour bus ride to the boat, the Brazilian guy (who reminded me of Jerry Seinfeld) posed this riddle to the group: You are the King of a nation that is made up of 10 states. These states are required to pay a yearly tax of 10 kilograms of gold. Each state pays the tax by sending in 10 gold ingots of 1 kilogram each. The ingots are marked with the stamp of the state that sent them but other than that each looks exactly the same. However, you have a spy that tells you that one of your states is cheating you and only sending in 9 kilograms of gold—10 ingots of 900 grams each. To the human eye and touch all of the ingots look the same so you must use your digital scale to determine which state is cheating you. The catch is you can only make one weighing. How do you determine the state that is stealing from you?
I finally figured out the answer after about 20 minutes and it turns out this was a great ice breaker between us and our new friends. If you want to play the game too (especially all those aspiring consultants out there) you can email me what you think the answer is and I will let you know if you are right.
Once we were on the boat we spent most of the time hanging out with our new found friends. It was really interesting to learn more about each of their countries, and their travels in SEA. It was also nice to have some other people to talk to at meals as Kendall and I have really only talked to each other and some locals in the past few weeks.
The bay was absolutely gorgeous, and contains over 3000 small islands protruding from the water. Halong translates to “where the dragon descends into the sea.” Legend has it that the islands of Halong Bay were created by a great dragon that lived in the mountains. As it ran towards the coast, its flailing tail gouged out valleys and crevasses; as it plunged into the sea, the areas dug up by his tail were filled with water, leaving only the high land visible.
When we boarded the Dragon’s Pearl around 12:30 on Saturday the weather was still overcast and pretty cold, about 65 degrees. We sat down to a great seafood lunch—all the meals had set menus of local favorites so you could try some of everything—of prawns, fish, squid and vegetables. There were about 8 courses and it seem like lunch went on forever as I was anxious to get outside and see the bay as we made our way through the islands. Kendall and I even left lunch a little early to go up to the sun deck on top of the boat to enjoy the wonderful scenery. Around 4 we stopped at an island mountain with a small beach and a path to the top. I climbed up to take some pictures while Kendall hung out with the INSEAD girls below.
In front of our boat while stopped on the island
Me on top of the island
The 3000 islands have over 300 caves that were first discovered by the French back in the early 1900s. After Vietnam became independent again in the 1970s many fishing villages formed in the caves and the one that we visited was transformed into a hospital. The area was made into a national forest and the government kicked all of the village people out of the caves. The “cavemen” decided to stay on the bay and create small floating villages so they could continue to fish. These floating villages have gotten so large that the government has even erected floating schools for the kids.
We climbed through the cave for about an hour before we retuned to the boat and cruised a short time to a spot were we could get off and swim. The water was absolutely freezing, about 60 degrees, but I decided to get in anyway. Kendall stayed on the boat to get sun and take some pictures.
The cruise ended with a big buffet lunch and a few last minutes on the sun deck to enjoy the best weather we have had all trip.
We are about to arrive back at our hotel in Hanoi that was kind enough to store one of our bags and do some laundry for us while we were on the boat. We have a few hours there to walk around, eat some dinner, and buy some snacks before our 11 hour train to Hue leaves tonight at 11pm.
Pray for our safe passage, and that all of our luggage is still with us when we wake up in the morning. There is a small problem with petty theft on the Vietnamese trains, but we have locks for our bags and a cable lock to secure them to our bunks so we should be fine.
Remember, you can only make one weighing in order to find the state that is cheating you.
8 comments:
Weigh a group of ingots made up of: 1 from #1, 2 from #2, 3 from #3...10 from # 10. The total wt. will vary from 550 kg. by an amount that corresponds to the number of the cheater. I won't go into the details - it's too obvious.
Place a constant volume of water in a beaker. Measure the displacement of each ingot. The smaller ingot will displace 10% less than the others. Don't even need scales.
Gregg H.
Yeah the first person is whack cause you have to use the scale, but I came up with the same answer as granpa, you put one coin of the first state's on two coins of the second's and so on. Therefore knowing there should be a total of 550 kg's. Take the delta m and the resulting number corisponds with the state (e.g. the cheating state is the 8th state in your process so you put 8 coins, therefore the total mass will be 542, 550-542= 8) I guess I should follow your footsteps Will cause I did it in five, and you got to take multiple guesses cause you were with the guy.
I am thinking of you, Winton, as I am sitting in the PCL on a beautiful sunday trying to write a paper on my 1, 3, and 5 year career plans. I feel like you could write this in your sleep, yet I don't even know what realistic job titles or salaries exist in my field. In actuality I don't think I can name more than two real jobs in advertising. "Commercial-maker?" "CEO?" Everything in Austin is normal: I don't know shit about the real world, Padon is still gay, Poole is asleep, Smalls is hooping at the house, and Reech is high. Make sure no one steals your kidneys.
-Price
For a unique high-end experience, book passage aboard the Emeraude -- a copy of a French steamer that once plied these waters in the early 20th century. Certainly the largest boat at 55m (180 ft.), the elegant Emeraude has 38 cabins, a fine-dining outlet, and plenty of room to stretch your legs. The luxury trip comes with a price tag, of course, but the 2-day, 1-night cruise is well worth it.
Leaving Hanoi at 8am, you'll check in at the private Emeraude pier and be shuttled to the boat. Before checking in to your cabin, you'll enjoy welcome drinks and a quick orientation. Compact, as ship cabins always are, onboard rooms are decked out in hardwood, with nice fixtures like air-conditioning, a private reading lamp, slippers for shuffling about the decks, and a tidy, compact bathroom area with toilet, shower, and a separate room for a small sink stand. Everything onboard is retro, which means pleasing hardwood, brass, and fine linens. The oversize wicker chairs on the top deck are cozy, and you'll find shaded areas as well as sun-worshipping space. A casual, friendly atmosphere pervades, especially when the corks start popping.
Dining onboard is a delicious buffet, and most guests find themselves sharing a meal with new friends. Lunch on day 1 is followed by a stop at the Surprise Cave, then an afternoon of cruising and great views of the islands. The boat docks in a quiet harbor and guests have an opportunity to, on their own or with a guide, explore nearby Trinh Nu and Hang Trong, the Virgin Cave and the Cave of the Winds, or take a dip in the bay. The back of the boat is low in the water and there is a sturdy ladder making it easy to get on and off (the adventurous will join the crew for dives off the upper decks). Dinner is a sumptuous affair of fine local cuisine (heavy on seafood) and good Western options. Enjoy drinks on the upper deck as you watch the moonlight glisten off the bay.
Day 2 starts with tai chi classes on the sun deck as a brilliant sunrise paints its colors on the arching canvas of high limestone peaks jutting from the glassy waters. Blissful. After your exercise, tuck in to a hearty Western-style breakfast. The boat returns to the dock by 9:30am, and a direct transfer finds you back in Hanoi by lunchtime. The trip is quite memorable, and a ride on this retro ship, outfitted to the nines, is unique to Halong Bay. The price for the overnight cruise is $290 for a luxury cabin for two and $490 for the one-suite room, but discounts for larger groups are available. Transfer from Hanoi costs $100 for a four-seat vehicle. Check the website at www.emeraude-cruises.com
Another Monday night with no bowling... Also, since you guys have been gone, I have neither played dominoes nor been to the Draft House. Hope your train hasn't derailed in the jungle. Also, Kendall, I heard a story about a woman whose hair was shorn off and sold to a wigmaker while she was asleep. If this happens to you, please post pictures.
I want to hear about some fights. I am sure there've been some good ones. I am jealous and have no job.
will,
i thought everywhere you were going in aisa had an internet connection? Somebodies closer...Matt
Post a Comment