Vietnam Part 3: Ha Long Bay (March 14-16)

We were up, fed, and on the minibus before 8am the next morning. The next four hours were spent precariously weaving in and out of traffic on our way from Hanoi to the coast. We were heading to arguably the most touristy of all Vietnamese tourist spots, Ha Long Bay. This UNESCO World Heritage site is essentially 1500 limestone karsts/islands spread out into the sea. We had booked a three day/two night boat trip on the Prince 3. We arrived and took a little dingy to get on board a beautiful replica Chinese/Vietnamese junk. Off we went into the bay with four other companions, two from the UK and two from the US. For the next couple of days, we cruised, kayaked, read, relaxed, and ate.

One highlight was on the second day when we visited one of the local fishing communities that live in floating houses in the middle of sheltered coves. The scenery was stunning and we even had some nice weather. With a little peer pressure applied from the other travelers, I got Lindsay to jump overboard into the sea. Quite an accomplishment. At the end of the trip we stopped to see one of the millions of island caves in the area. After that we returned to shore and a long four hour bus ride later we were back in Hanoi.

It was late afternoon when we arrived back in Hanoi, so we dropped our bags at the Elegance Hotel and went out for a killer Indian dinner - after five days straight of nothing but Vietnamese food, Lindsay had developed a slight involuntary gag at the mere mention of another Vietnamese meal. After dinner, we picked up our stuff and transferred to the train station, where we boarded our overnight train north to Sapa.