Halong Bay

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Yesterday we met up with Jacqui, Steve, Marlene & Mark as they arrived back from their trek in Sapa. A Couple of hours later we were off to our overnight trip to Halong Bay on a Junk.

A 4hr Drive in traffic chaos we finally made it.... As you can imagine the girls hadn't seen each other for a week......So here we are in a 16 seater mini bus with 3 husbands and 6 Americans. I don't know what they thought but us girls didn't take a breath from talking for about the first two hours. The men weren't too impressed. But...they were prepared. Between the three of them they had a supply of happy water and mixers in the back row of the van and quite happily mixed their own in to cans on the back of the bus.

Imagine 3000 or more incredible islands rising out of the waters and you have the beauty of Halong Bay.
Legend has it that Halong was created by the dragon that raced to the coast carving out the mountains with his tail as he went, when he finally dove in to the sea the area filled with water and became Halong bay.

We got to Halong City where you catch the boat, we had what is supposed to be an old junk....More like an old piece of junk but it was ok as it was a cheap tour in comparison to others we had looked at.

Our tour guide was continually saying I give you program now....Please take all belongings and go now.,..Get on boat now....you get the picture....

You wouldn't believe the ideas they come up with. If you need to get on your boat and it is at the back of other boats you first have to get and old chair to get on to board the boat, then walk through any amount of boats to get to your own, only problem they all look the same and most likely all have the same number......Same Same is the latest saying with the six of us.

Kayaking was also part of the program. I was a bit worried it would either tip over or I wouldn't fit in it. Well I did fit and it didn't tip over so we were off for about an hour around the bay. it is such a beautiful place, only problem is it is just as polluted with rubbish as the rest of Vietnam.

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Photos

Mobile tower
In the middle of Halong Bay

Halong Bay
Looking down from Surprise Cave

7 11
Local 711 on the water