The ride was relatively pleasant, and the other people in my tour group were all friendly and came from all over the world. We arrived in Halong City around noon (after the obligatory souvenier shop/tourist trap pit-stop), and boarded the boat for our cruise of the bay.
Unfortunately for us, it was raining. And not just a little rain - it was pouring! We were all soaked, but the view was so amazing, that it was well worth it.
We cruised around the bay for about an hour, and then stopped to eat a fresh seafood lunch at a floating restaurant. Once we finished our lunch, some of us (the brave ones) went kayaking in the bay.
I ended up in a 2 person kayak with a French man named Patrice - a very nice guy. Neither of us had any idea how to kayak, but after a few mishaps, we got the hang of it. I wish that I had brought my camera with me, because we were able to kayak into some secluded caves and coves that were just breathtaking. I felt kind of like I was in an episode of Lost. I had a blast, and would really like to try kayaking again some time.
After our kayak adventure, we went to a really big cave that clearly was a part of every tour of the bay, since there were hundreds of people there. Don't get me wrong - it was really cool. But, it was definately very touristy and over crowded. Eh...
Anyway, once we finished up at the cave and passed the 900th souvenier stand, we took the boat back to the shore and drove home. While I'm usually not a fan of organized tours, this really was a great day :)
Tomorrow, I'm spending the day with my new friends from yesterday, and am flying to Laos in the evening. I was originally planning to see a few more sights in Hanoi, but the chance to spend time with a local family and see what Vietnamese life is really like is an opportunity too good to pass up. I'm really excited!
1 comment:
KAYAK!!! MICHAEL
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