Halong Bay......a true treasure!

So, after spending a few days in Hanoi, I gathered that most tourists do one or both of the following: a) head up to Sapa (a former French colonial post in the mountains north near the Chinese border) and/or b) take in a tour of Halong Bay (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). After deciding that beyond the views, there wasn't much for me in Sapa, I decided that I definitely need to check out Halong Bay. Not that there is anything wrong with Sapa, but I hadn't really planned on doing a lot of hiking/trekking and outside of the small town, that's what people head up there to do. Besides, my tan needed some work, so what better way than to spend some time in Halong Bay.

There are tons of places that offer tours of Halong Bay and from what I hear the experiences can vary significantly. I was definitely pleased to find my accomodations on the boat to be more than I expected and the food was excellent. After getting picked up at my hotel by minibus, myself and about 12 others were taken out to the Halong port. The drive out there wasn't much for scenery, but if you like factories, then you'd love the drive.

Upon arrival at the port, I can clearly see that this trip out to Halong Bay is a pretty standard gig as there are tons of junk boats eagerly waiting for the tourists to arrive. I start to dread that this experience is going to be a tourist trap, but once we get out into the bay and start to see the limestone formations, I quickly realize why everyone heads out to Halong Bay. It's absolutely gorgeous and really something to take in!

During the course of our tour, we get a couple of fabulous meals, a tour of some caves, swimming in the bay, and the chance to dive off the top of the three story junk boat! But the true gem of the tour was the chance to get out and do some kayaking in the bay. My kayaking partner Ellie and I make the most of it and try to do as much exploring as possible. We were rewarded for our adventures as we found a neat tunnel that opened up into a small enclave. It was truly one of the more cool things that I've done on the trip. Later that evening, we celebrated the Vietnamese way with some drinking and karaoke. Yours truly did a rousing rendition of 'Unchained Melody' which got a smattering of applause.

The next day we did some more swimming in the bay before being taken back to our hotels. I then caught the night train to Hue.

More on that later......

Love, peace, and soul