On our last day in Hanoi, we met the group that we would be traveling with in Vietnam and Cambodia. We went through an Australian travel agency called Intrepid that does many small group trips, and our group has seven people including ourselves. There's a younger Australian couple and an older Australian couple and their daughter, and we all get along well.
The next day, we took a bus trip east to Halong Bay, a 600 square mile bay with about 3000 islands. We boarded a nice houseboat that we had all to ourselves, and headed out into the bay. I had never seen anything like it - there were lush, steep islands jutting out of the water all around us, and the bay seemed to go on forever. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
After a tasty lunch and several hours of lounging on the roof deck taking in the scenery, we ended up at a cave high on one of the islands. We docked and took the stairs up to the cave, which was quite large and had many beautiful formations. Apparently, it is still growing, due to water that drips in from rainstorms and a small lake at the top of the island.
We left right as the sun was sinking and traveled to our resting place for the night among the islands. The water was really warm, and many of us enjoyed a swim in the dark, which was very satisfying. The boys took turns jumping off the top of the boat, about a 20 foot drop, which I really enjoyed. My attempt at a dive almost ended in disaster when I rotated a little too much, but I managed to avoid landing on my back.
After another tasty meal, we relaxed on the roof with some beers and watched the stars, and then retired to our separate rooms to sleep. I highly recommend Halong Bay to everyone, and I could imagine spending even more time exploring this beautiful area.
The next day, we took a bus trip east to Halong Bay, a 600 square mile bay with about 3000 islands. We boarded a nice houseboat that we had all to ourselves, and headed out into the bay. I had never seen anything like it - there were lush, steep islands jutting out of the water all around us, and the bay seemed to go on forever. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
After a tasty lunch and several hours of lounging on the roof deck taking in the scenery, we ended up at a cave high on one of the islands. We docked and took the stairs up to the cave, which was quite large and had many beautiful formations. Apparently, it is still growing, due to water that drips in from rainstorms and a small lake at the top of the island.
We left right as the sun was sinking and traveled to our resting place for the night among the islands. The water was really warm, and many of us enjoyed a swim in the dark, which was very satisfying. The boys took turns jumping off the top of the boat, about a 20 foot drop, which I really enjoyed. My attempt at a dive almost ended in disaster when I rotated a little too much, but I managed to avoid landing on my back.
After another tasty meal, we relaxed on the roof with some beers and watched the stars, and then retired to our separate rooms to sleep. I highly recommend Halong Bay to everyone, and I could imagine spending even more time exploring this beautiful area.
1 comment:
That bay looks pretty sweet! Looks a bit little like the Napali cost in Kawai. Peace out in Vietnam :-)
-Smoove
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