Vietnam: You Never Want to Leave

Everyone told me that Halong Bay is a must seen in Vietnam. But as I’m travelling on a shoestring budget, I’m not a big fan of organized trips. This time I made an exception as I met some friendly guys from Belgium in my hostel who convinced me to go with them.

The first day we spent on the boat. The agenda was nothing really special: visit to the caves, Cat Ba- overrated and touristic island. There were so many people on the beach,  that you couldn’t even move. So after the first day I was quite disappointed but everything changed when they took us to the secret beach on a private island in Halong Bay. The beach was called Cove Beach and it was hidden between the rocks. There were only 7 bungalows and the whole island was exclusively for us. It looked like from the movie- Beach. Now I see how the Maya bay in Thailand looked like before all the tourists made their way and destroyed the beautiful picture it used to have.

But this beach was secluded, quiet, no ladies trying to sell you something, no motorbikes, no tourists. There were kayaks to our disposal so were the tubes. My bungalow was right on the beach and the view on the bay from my balcony was magical. This is without any doubt the most amazing beach I ever stayed on– was my first thought. After lunch we took kayaks and went around the island and later we went rock climbing, which by the way – was not as easy as I expected to be. Unfortunately I failed miserably and landed it water after my three attempts. Everybody was really tired after long day of activities so we went to bed really early. Falling asleep I was watching the moon from my bed.

The next day we had to pack as the boat was picking us up at 8am but when  I saw people getting on I just felt I’m not ready to go back to crazy Hanoi where you have to fight for your life when you are crossing the street so I run to my guide and desperately asked If I can stay one more night. He laughed and agreed for me to stay. When the group left it was just me and two other girls on the island and of course the staff.  Surrounded by silence that was broken only by waves I sat on my balcony and read my book. For the first time since I started travelling a month ago I felt like I’m relaxing, not rushing anywhere and just being alone with myself.   It was a perfect place where I could gather my thoughts, get inspiration for my next blog articles and just be happy .Those who know me think no, that’s not possible she can’t just stay in one place doing nothing but apparently I can and I did. The time stopped on this magical island where I felt most peaceful in the whole world.

About the Author: Ewelina Kawczynska: I am a journalist and currently travelling by myself around Southeast Asia and I absolutely love it. I’m from Poland but I lived in Austria, UK, Spain, Kazakhstan, Belgium and Thailand. I love exploring new cultures and getting to know new people. Visit my website.