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Published: February 25th 2009
Fishing Home
Floating Fishing Villages appeared out of nowhere.Having enough of the city for a bit, I decided to some mini-trips from Hanoi. The obvious choice was Halong Bay, one of the main reasons for choosing Vietnam. Situated in the Gulf of Tonking, Halong Bay is an area comprised of nearly 2,000 islands. The name Halong Bay means the bay of descending dragons as the rocky outcrops appear to be the spine of a dragon. These islands are uninhabited although there are random floating fishing villages located throughout the islands. I am not sure if the term fishing village is appropriate as it is a couple of houses tied together. The houses themselves are merely little squares with a hammock or two out front. While they have some amazing waterfront views of the bay, their story is far from happy. The boats director Chuk (Vietnam's version of Julie McCoy) told us that the fishermen and their families are basically stuck out in Halong Bay for their lives. They don't make enough money to move into a harbor city. Their children remain uneducated and therefore can't get jobs other than to fish with their family. A rather sad case of being stuck in the middle of nowhere.
Mother Nature
Kayaking Halong Bay
Just a little depth perception for you. attempted to add to the mysterious wonder of Halong by providing ample fog. The mist enshrouded islands and the antique looking junk (boat) made it feel as if were pirates seeking treasure. The boat itself was wonderful as it meandered slowly through the peaks of the bay. There was the occasional stop to check out a cave or to climb a peak and look out over the bay, but the real highlight would be kayaking amongst the islands. The sheer magnitude of the islands walls were clearly understood when you were not in a three story boat but floating just on top of the water. The water was kind enough to be smooth as silk and the water eroded some wonderful cut-throughs of some of the islands. It was a great way to spend the time as we waited for the sun to set.
Of course once wet, a bunch of us on the boat figured we might as well continue to swim a bit. This only led to the mandatory jumping off the top of the boat. No matter how interesting a place may be, how culturally unique it is, nor how geographical rare nothing beats jumping off
Home Sweet Home
Our anchor spot for the evening. high things into the water. I felt like a 10 year old, ignoring the true wonders of nature, just for the cheap thrill of jumping off the boat. In the end, it was worth every jump.
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Tami
non-member comment
The view from the cave is incredible!