Halong Bay, Day 2

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Up at seven am on a Saturday? Only for Halong Bay! We ate breakfast at 730 and were on our way by 8 am. Taking in the rocks in the morning mist was a magical way to start the day.

We went to a cave. I'm not normally one for caves but this one was incredible. It was bigger than any I've ever seen and they lit it with lights to make the rocks more impressive. We climbed a lot of stairs and then descended in. It was huge and warm and tall and just seemed to keep going forever. There were three rooms, each more spectacular than the last. We were only there an hour--I wish it had been more--and I felt a bit rushed.

Back on the boat we all relaxed, knowing our time was ending. Taking in the last views of the bay, all I could think was how happy I was I'd taken the two day tour and not the one day tour. Three days would be great, but only if it's a bit warmer. We all ate lunch in Halong City before driving back to Hanoi.


Edward, Tom, and I went back to the same hostel as before. Again, they were warm in welcoming us, the clerk even giving me a hug and telling me how much he'd missed me. This time, they'd arranged for our rooms to be across from each other and on the second floor--much better than two different floors.

While the guys stayed in, I went out with some other people from our hostel. They'd just moved to Hanoi to teach English and were apartment hunting. We went to a local pub and talked with other expats. It's a very different feeling, seeing life as it would be if I lived there rather than just as a tourist. We took a cab back to our hostel at the end of the night and were amazed to see quiet, empty streets.

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