Halong Bay

Halong Bay – UNESCO World Heritage site.

[caption id="attachment_160" align="alignright" width="150"] Cruising along in Halong Bay[/caption]

You have seen pictures of this place, you just might not recognize the name.  It is crystal blue water with a multitude of small rock islands that jut nearly straight up from the ocean.  It is incredibly picturesque.  That is why I am sure that you have seen it.

I booked a 3 day 2 night cruise.  They said they would pick me up at my hostel at 8:00 at 8:05 they arrived. It was a 3.5-hour bus drive to get there.  With a stop at one of those very touristy places, set up to sell you over priced souvenirs, however it did have a very clean bathroom with toilet paper – always a good thing on a long drive.

I am constantly amazed how not only here but in Cambodia, that the road to one of the biggest tourist attractions is not given better attention when it comes to maintenance. It was a Friday and the road was torn up almost everywhere, but there were no workman to be found.  Needless to say it was a bumpy ride.

[caption id="attachment_161" align="alignleft" width="150"] Kayaking around the islands[/caption]

There were 12 of us on the cruise and I was the only American. Three college-aged guys from Austrian who I shared a table with.  A French couple who live in China, an English couple on Vacation, and four guys from Spain.  It was a great group, which made the time together that much better.

Our first afternoon found us cruising along, a nice smooth stretch of water until we arrived at a cave.  I wasn’t much interested so I took my book up on top of our boat and enjoyed the view and quiet time.  Then we went and kayaked.  It was one of the main reasons that I wanted to go on this cruise.

Awesome is the only I can say.  See these pictures.  I have been doing a push up regiment for the past 10 weeks, which I am so glad, because otherwise the paddling would have been very difficult.  As it was I was by myself so after 30 minutes I was exhausted, wet and wearing a huge smile.

[caption id="attachment_163" align="alignright" width="150"] Sun, Sand & Swimming[/caption]

The next day we arrived on Cat Ba Island – wandered around in the National Park for awhile, then went to a beach to swim and enjoy the beauty.  Spent the night on the island and then headed back to the port and back on the terrible road to Hanoi.

Upon my return they moved me to a different hostel, so I got to explore a different part of town.  Including a huge Catholic Church with mass in progress.  The church was filled to overflowing, that came as a big surprise.

Off to the night train to Hoi An, check back in a couple of days.