So Day 3 we decided to go on a 1 night 2 day tour of Halong (Descending Dragon) Bay which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was in the running for being voted one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halong_bay It for sure got my vote!
Getting there was absolutely beautiful and seeing the Vietnamese country side on the drive for the first time was amazing. Everywhere you looked there were beautiful rice fields with famers working away with their cone hats on (such a picturesque (sp) image that NEVER gets old), lots of motorbikes with random things on the back (cages of kittens - that i am sure are pets Dawn - live chickens just strapped on - no cage needed for them & every piece of furniture you could think of....i even saw a guy carrying a full size mirror on a motorbike...that is talent if you ask me!), and random men wearing army looking helmets that one would picture in vietnam (they weren't on duty or anything...or even potentially in the army at all)!
As we arrived to the harbour the guide told us that it was one of the nicest days Halong Bay has had in a long time so we definitley lucked out! It was gorgeous! We took a small boat to our ship, which was an older looking wooden boat that looked like it was straight from a pirate movie. I was just waiting for a ship to go by with a skull flag and Jack Sparrow on board. No such luck though. Anyway, the style of ships that dotted the Bay made a really cool feel to it which could have easily been ruined with a shiny white speed boat which I hope they never let happen by the way...it was so cool to experience the Bay this way.
As we got on board and had our welcome drink (apple juice...dont get too excited) they had prepared for us, we relaxed on deck in the sun & that was when everyone was informed of my love for the shade...and my nickname for the boat tour: Grama. haha. Just cause a girl doesn't like to burn. (and it maybe had to do with the 2 sarongs i had covering my entire body and big hat that was shading my precious pale face. haha) Anyway, we had a great lunch on board with a great view, listened to some music and got to know some of the others from our tour. All afternoon, there were ladies on small boats selling an array of food, snacks & drinks floating up saying "lady lady, you want ice cold beer?"
Next was our amazing kayaking adventure. Pam & I went together and it was shockingly DIFFICULT to do! My arms were so sore afterwards. I have to give so much credit to those floating ladies that sell things. They could probably knock me out with their arm muscles FOR SURE! We went around to some beautiful spots though, saw some crazy big jellyfish, and went under some cave type openings that led to a place with unreal views.
After finally getting back to the dock, which Pam & I thought we would NEVER reach, we were brought back to our ship and some people went for a swim off the side deck. I opted for being the picture taker of the beautufl sunset as the dare devils lept from a pretty high top deck. Brave souls.
After the swim and kayaks, everyone got ready for dinner and had a lovely meal followed by a night of drinks for happy hour. We mingled with the people on board and met 3 lovely Irish ladies that were pretty funny. I roomed on board with one named Emily who was very sweet.
Halong Bay was gorgeous and we wished we could have stayed longer, but we did enjoy our one starry night in the Bay!
The next morning was a bit cloudy but Sara still managed to burn herself pretty good! I even got a bit of a burn. Darn clouds. We dropped off the people who were doing the 3 day tour (they got to stay at an island for the second night) and picked up the people who were finished the 3 days and head back to the main dock. It is quite a big area though so it took some time, and we managed to get 2 meals in there. We then had a 3 hour bus ride ahead of us to bring us back to our hostel in Hanoi, then a 16 hour train ride to Hoi An!
Embarassing but true, we went to Lotteria for dinner (Korea's version of McD's - it was the ONLY thing close to the train station) & got on board yet another mode of transportation for the day. The 4th to be exact. Ship, Bus, Taxi & Train! WOW!
Our overnight train wasn't all that bad actually. We had a descent cabin that had 2 bunks (shared with a French guy) & aside from the disgusting bathroom on board that didn't flush and the broken airconditioner from midnight to 5am, not too much to complain about. Actually the security guards were weird but they gave us some laughs thats for sure. The girls and I played fortune cards, kill-marry-do & would you rather to make some time pass and it seemed to work pretty well!
In the morning we were all a little hungry though (we couldnt find the shop on board - i swear there wasnt one) and were ready to get off the darn train. The views were absolutely amazing though as we went along the coast. The small ocean side villages on one side & ricefields and mountains on the other were unreal. I got some great shots!
More to come on Hoi An soon and my last day in Ho Chi Minh City!
I am off to the airport in a couple of hours so I should get some rest and pack.
I am SOOO looking forward to tomato town!
xox
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