Southeast Asia: 13-14 June, 2007 Halong Bay

I’m way overdue on posting pictures from last year’s trip to Asia but I’ll continue to do so until I’ve overwhelmed you with pictures and commentary that will drive you to pull out your passport and book a trip to Asia. Of course, then you’ll get to the part where you need to book your flight and you’ll sigh in dismay at the $1200+ cost just to get there. So, I’ll allow you live vicariously through my blog, as that’s what I’m also doing this year. Stupid airline fees!

So, Halong Bay is a few hours drive east out of Hanoi, Vietnam. It’s right near the border of China. And, if I haven’t convinced you by the end of this post, it is SO worth the drive. Heck, it’s even worth the $1200 flight there, honestly. Ok, I’ve talked myself into it. Anyone want to go? (Yes, I'm a sucker for an adventure!)

Accommodations: Chinese Jonque (“Junk”) Boat.

These boats are anything but “junk”, though. Each boat has 3 levels. The bottom level is where all the guest rooms are. Each boat has 10-12 rooms that each have 2 twin beds and a bathroom w/ shower. I thought we would’ve had to share a bathroom, but no, this is high class right here!
The middle level is where the dining room is as well as the kitchen and crew’s quarters. The top level is an open deck for sunbathing or jumping off of into the water. Allow me to illustrate…

And boy is the eating fabulous… if you’re a seafood person… and you have a strong stomach.

I like my share of seafood but I have a hard time with legs, eyeballs, tentacles, those sorts of things. But, you gotta eat to survive. So I took my time and… lost a lot of weight. (You can only try not to think about what you’re actually eating for so long before the stomach starts to get queasy!)
On to other things… We took a short (but steep) hike to Sung Sot Cave (Cave of Surprises).

It felt like you were on another planet. The ceiling was what I’d imagine the surface of the moon would be like if it were 10 feet above your head. It was strange, but cool!

Please don’t be offended but Lake Powell has nothing on this place. You’re cruising in and out of islands on your fabulous boat. The ONLY advantage Lake Powell has is that it’s fresh water. Halong Bay is part of the ocean so it’s rather salty and takes some getting use to. But I tell ya what, I could get use to this real fast!

Some Vietnamese live in Halong Bay in “floating villages”…

I can imagine you’d hear this conversation a lot…
“Honey, run to the store and get some milk.”
“Mom, I can’t, the boat’s out of gas.”
“That’s what the paddles are for, it’ll only take you 2 minutes, ya wimp!”
(Someone please translate the above conversation into Vietnamese.)

Laundry would be a pain… but not a bad lifestyle I can imagine!

These pictures just don’t do it justice. I’ll just have to show you. Pack your bags, let’s go!

The above picture was taken from that tiny little building on top of the rock in the picture below.

Now I realize why it’s taken me so long to put this post together. I get too “homesick” for the place.

At night all the boats anchor in bays to avoid any storminess from the ocean. It’s a beautiful sight with all the boats lit up!

And sunrise the next morning was beautiful. We only stayed one night in Halong Bay but I would recommend a couple nights. Like I said, I could get use to this!