81
FIRST PERSON
Cruisemode
inHalongBay
A weekend of sailing around one of the world’s great
natural wonders in a vintage-inspired boat?
Tara FT Sering is totally onboard
T
here’s nothing like
a cruise to relax
perpetually tense
shoulder muscles,
knot by anxious knot,
and calm the mind
until it’s filled with thoughts of quitting
your day job. This kind of mini-break
is always good for the spirit, so while
the sun was shining bright in late
March, off we went to the enchanting,
often mist-shrouded Halong Bay on
Vietnam’s north-eastern coast.
Unlike week-long cruises aboard
mega ships, a slow sail on the emerald
waters and around the hundreds of
limestone islets of this UNESCO
World Heritage site is a low-
commitment undertaking — it’s just
a three-hour drive fromHanoi and all
you need is a weekend — but it delivers
a similar high, especially if you’re a
fan of mystical landscapes and the Old
World charm of what was once French
Indochina. Several of the few hundred
cruise boats that ferry tourists around
the bay have major retro appeal, and
you can choose to book your holiday
package aboard just about any type
of vintage-style vessel, fromwooden
Chinese junks with vibrant red sails to
luxury steamer replicas with top-deck
restaurants and private balconies.
