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Published: July 16th 2007
Hi everyone this is Fiona. Before I tell you about our beautiful cruise in Ha Long Bay I just wanted to tell you what I ate for dinner tonight.... Chicken blood! At first glance I thought it might be a mushroom or tofu, but I was wrong. I guess they freeze it and then boil it and it kind of solidifies. I didn't know what I was eating at the time. I was just at a little streetside stand w/ a bunch of Vietnamese people, but then a young girl looked over and asked me if I liked it, I said yes and asked her what it was. She told me and I was a little shocked, but figured I'd already eaten it so what the heck.
Our bay cruise was fantastic. The scenery was beautiful, but like all developing countries it was overcrowded and the environmental effects didn't seem to even be an afterthought. We drove about 3hrs to Ha Long Bay and then cruised around on a cool boat. they're called junk boats, but ours was very nice. We had a really nice dining area on the main deck with two person cabins below and a really nice but very hot sunbathing deck above.
The first stop was to the biggest cave in the bay. It was really cool, much bigger than many of us imagined. Amy was appreciative of the lighting and ropes guiding our way. Our guide told us a bit about how it was formed and some of the legends about the bay. He also told us about all the rocks that look like animals. After that we did some sea kayaking which was pretty cool we went under this one rock that formed a sort of arch over the water. It was really cool. Then we parked our boat for the night and went swimming. We jumped off the boat a couple times. It was fun. The water here is sooo warm. It's just barely cooler than your body temperature. It's been so hot here in Vietnam. I think it's like 100 something but feels like 110.
AFter dinner we had time to hang out on our boat. We had a few beers up on the deck while watching the stars and crazy heat lighting going on. It was like a personal light show. We also enjoyed meeting some other travelers on our trip. It's great to hear what other people have to say about the places we've been, and I think we all have heard about a few more places we'd like to see.
Today we started the morning off on one of the islands in Ha Long Bay. A few of us hiked up to a beatiful vantage point where you had a 360 degree view of the bay. It's really incredible. Definately a natural wonder (even if it didn't make the top 7). After that it was back to the mainland, lunch, and then our 3hr bus ride back to Hanoi.
Here we are. Since getting back to the city we've had some tedious planning to do for the last leg of our trip. We've got our plane tickets to Hoi An tomorrow. We're all looking forward to it. Hanoi is a sight to be seen for sure, but it puts the hustle and bustle of NYC to shame.
We're having a great time and thinking of all our friends at home. Wishing all of you could be here with us.
Hope this finds you well.
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gus comaites
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howdy from a dad
just want to thank each and every one of you for your excellant blog updates. appreciate the various writng styles and observations of all your adventures. sometimes i feel as if im on this trip with you. (wish i was) happy you are there and having a wonderful time. i admit i can not wait till your all home safe and sound. (what do you expect a loving parent to say) continue to enjoy and BE CAREFUL OUT THERE. LOVE------POPPO COMAITES