The serenity of Halong Bay

Without a doubt, Halong Bay was the raddest thing I saw while in Vietnam. It's composed of 1,969 limestone islands, jutting spectacularly out of the water as a result of, oh.....500 million years of transformation.

Naturally, after seeing so many beautiful places around the world, I'm desensitized. It takes a lot to WOW me...... Well, Halong Bay WOW'ed me.

I chose a 3 day/2 night package for my tour through the breathtaking archipelago. I spent the first night on the boat, and the second in a cute bungalow on an awe-inspiring beach.

my cabin on the boat

view from the bungalow

There were 15 other tourists on the boat. At night we gathered together to eat and share stories as the boat docked in the middle of the bay.

Wouldn't you know, it rained on and off the second day, but it created a mystical misty look as we floated along inside the safety of the boat.

A storms a brewin'

There were quite a few single travelers on this tour. I buddied up with Carolynn from New Zealand, because Kiwis rock.

Carolynn and I, hiking around the island

We cruised through the archipelagos in a boat named the "Imperial Junk". Don't let the name fool you, it was a pretty snazzy boat. We made short pit stops at small islands along the way, where we explored a cave, went kayaking, and hiked amongst 30 crazy monkeys. They were such little demons, as most monkeys are. One scared me half to death when he jumped onto a tree branch just above my head. He was just showing off, but the hairy little monster almost sent me into cardiac arrest.


We roared in laughter as one of the naughty monkeys stole a pack of cigs from a German tourist and actually put them in his mouth, looking scarily human with his hilarious facial expressions.

Where's the ciggies?

We breezed by small floating villages. Which is pretty much a small house on water. I give these locals A LOT of credit for being able to live in the small confines of these homes. I, myself, would never make it as a floating villager. I get island fever living in Hawaii, which is a zillion times bigger than their tiny villages! They make a living from fishing and catching other marine life from the sea. What confused me was that almost every family had a large dog that would bark at our boat as we passed. "Strange, they barely have enough room for themselves, why would they want to throw a dog into the mix?" I thought. I'm sure he'll end up on their supper plate one night.
I couldn't help myself, I had to say it.....

Local women would troll around on small boats, rowing up to our big boat, trying to sell us outlandishly priced goodies such as Oreos, pop, beer and crackers.

At night, the moon reflected off the water and lights from the other boats illuminated the serene area. My room provided a picture perfect view as I was lulled to sleep by the occasional gentle sway of the boat.
Life is good.... Zzzzzz.....

The time on the water was a nice break from the sea of noisy motorbikes and the nagging locals of the city. After 3 days, I felt more relaxed than Bob Marley, until I returned to the city and my stress level bounced back to normal :(
Thanks for the memories, Halong Bay!