I had very mixed feelings before visiting the Ha Long Bay, mostly due to all of the reviews and articles I've read about it, stating it being crowded, dirty, smelly, with trash literally swimming on the surface of the water, marring the view. So when I was on a business trip in Ha Long, on the actual day of a three-hour-long boat tour of the bay, I've actually bailed in favour of sitting by the pool and enjoying some much-needed alone time. I would be there a month later again, this time with my husband Ivan. My colleagues who went told me the bay did not smell, but they weren't lucky with the weather and they enjoyed a very foggy November morning.

One month later, it was late December and the weather was as sunny as could be as Ivan and I boarded the Indochina Sails junk ship. We booked the trip before we took off for Vietnam, through Booking based on the recommendation of the Lonely planet - there are just too many companies operating in the Ha Long Bay and quality varies. It was not cheap, but included was transport from Hanoi and back (we only used it one-way as we moved along to Ninh Binh after this), lunch, dinner and breakfast, one night on ship in a double room, entrance fees and activities. When debating whether to do just a short trip around the bay, or spend the night, I would highly recommend spending the night if you can afford it. The sunset and sunrise views were the best part. 

I was amazed almost instantly as we took off the busy port of Ha Long and went on to the bay. The skies were blue, water was clear and devoid of trash, the views were simply amazing. Our junk ship had about 15 rooms but only about seven of them were occupied, so our junk was not crowded and it has a lovely quiet atmosphere. We had lunch, then enjoyed a bit of rest on the sun deck, enjoying the views as we moved closer and closer to the karst formations. Later in the afternoon we took a trip to the Surprise cave (Sung Sot cave) along with hoards of other tourists. This was probably the most frustrating part, as ships can dock around different parts of the bay throughout the night, but the itineraries are mostly the same, so there will be a lot of people. I have to say though, the cave was amazing: the first space is smallish and with many people around you get hit with a wave of disappointment but after that you move to the vast and expansive space of the cave with lovely decorations and neat walkways which allow tourists to disperse a bit. The next morning we took an early trip to the Ti Top (Titov) Island, where you walk about 400 steps to reach the top with nice views. Again, many tourists, which means you don't have to worry about the tempo of the ascent, it will be slow, you won't even break a sweat. There is a beach at the island as well and our guide from the ship brought towels for those who wanted to take a dip, but I was quite reluctant - there was a bit of a smell to the water by the tiny beach.

The Bay is beautiful and the views change all the time, I did not get bored by them. I enjoyed my time on board very much, though I think an overnight cruise was just enough, two-nighters have some more islands to visit, kayaking and other activities. The local authorities have tried regulating waste management of the junks and I think it got much better from what I've read. It's still not ideal, as witnessed by the lack of marine life, but it's improved. The karst formations are amazing and a wonderful backdrop to just chilling on the sun deck. I would recommend this experience to anyone. Ha Long Bay, despite what I've heard about you, you've impressed me!