Halong Bay, I Love You

I'll keep the text in this post to as much of a minimum as possible. Why? Well, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and I think the photos of Halong Bay epitomize the cliche. Going into the trip, I had seen pictures of the place and knew it was a work of art. Yet, I was still blown away by some of the scenery.

The 3-day cruise was priceless.

Day 1 included the most beautiful sunset I have seen in 26.4 years, topped off by some saltwater swimming at dusk. Most escaped unscathed from the late night swim....but we did have a couple casualties, thanks to a few of our jellyfish friends. All in all, however, our group of 30+ managed to have a good day/evening....

Day 2 delivered undoubtedly the most challenging task of the trip to date: large, sheer cliffs that begged several of us to climb them. So, with my extensive experience in rock climbing (none) and a slight headache from the evening prior, we scaled the cliffs of Halong Bay in what would become one of the sweatiest days of the trip. The morning was comprised of what climbers would call "novice" climbs, but the afternoon was no joke. I managed to snag a decent view of the bay below once I had scaled about 70 feet or so of the monster rock. Mr.John Cutler, wherever you are, get the gear ready because I'm ready to take on the hobby of climbing. My skills need some honing, but wow, what an experience....

After spending the evening on Cat Ba Island, one of only two inhabitated islands of the 1900+ rock islands in the bay, we set back for Hanoi on Day 3. One last glimpse of the amazing panoramas, and we were land-ho, back to the hustle and bustle of the city.

Tonight, I will set off on a 14-hour night trip to Hoi An, about halfway down the country. The food here has been phenomenal, including plenty of seafood (you'll see a photo of me below snacking on some snails....I've also had squid, octupus, etc), so I look forward to more of the same as we travel south.

Enjoy the photos!

1) Traffic in Hanoi
2,3) Snail feast
4-6) First glimpses of Halong Bay
7) New friends on the boat (Mom, this is the Australian guy who demanded to talk to you on the phone)
8-12) The most beautiful sunset on the planet
13) Looking out from our rock climbing sight
14-16) Last glimpses of Halong Bay
17) One final jump off the boat!