Halong Bay
After Hanoi we went on a cruise of famous Halong Bay. It was touristy and great. The tour started with lunch on the boat; which I envisioned as a sea food lunch as the boat rocked gently with the wave and we gazed upon the beautiful rock formations of the bay. Actually we were given a decent meal of fish, tofu, greens, rice, and french fries…..in the harbor side by side with all the other tens of tourist boats. It was about 90 degrees, the air was still and all the boats had their motors running so the exhaust was very noticable. We were an hour late in shoving off because the police had not cleared the boat to leave (probabaly they were on a long lunch). Once we departed though it became quite enjoyable. We say the bay, toured caverns, and rode around in a smaller boat to see some things up close. That night we anchored in another part of the bay. As the sun went down we swam in the warm see water and watched the red reflect off the water. Dinner was much the same as lunch, but after the bay was beautiful. The other boats were all lit up and we could see all the stars in the sky.
We got up at 6am and went kyaking for an hour before we went to Cat Ba island. We trekked for about three hours through some pretty, but difficult terrain. After we napped and swam in the ocean. The next morning it was back on the bus, the boat, and the bus again to Hanoi. All in all in was a great time. Probably the first time on our trip that we were sold a tour that lived up to its sales pitch.
Tags: Travel
