Sittin' in Halong Bay watching the tide roll away

Hi All! As we write this, you are probably enjoying your Thanksgiving dinner. Please know we are thinking of you here in Vietnam!

We returned to Hanoi this afternoon from three days in Halong Bay (3 hours drive east). The bay is amazing with thousands of miles of huge limestone formations that create tons of little islands. The water is a light aqua marine color and warmer than the air.

The "cruise" started with a lavish lunch including 9 courses some of which were prawns, crab, stirfry and fruit. Our room was a nice size for a boat: meaning there was room for a bed, sidetable, our two bags and we could still get in and out of it. And the all important question, it HAD a hot, fresh water shower. We spent a little over an hour kayaking to a little island lookout, around some islands and through a cave. You could see the true size and spendor of the rocks while kayaking beside them. At night we had a terrible storm, so violent that we hit the boat anchored to our left three times! Craziness!

The following day was a bit disappointing as we took a walk in a cave in the morning, had to eat at 11:00 AM then sit in dock most of the day while other guests disembarked and new people came onboard. We did spend 1 and 1/2 hours kayaking and swimming in a gorgeous area of the bay later in the afternoon. The water here was so clear we could see the reefs and shell fish living below. Nate decided the only way he wanted to swim was to jump from the second story roof of the boat (see attached picture).

Overall, the surroundings were stunning and the food excellent. But we are glad to be on land again!!