Waking up knowing that you are going to have a great breakfast again is something that I cherish so I was ready to go when my watch alarm woke me up to the faint beep-beep-beep that would normally never even stir me. Excited about the day, D and I were ready to step off on our side trip to Halong Bay to stay on a Junk boat for a night and experience one of the gems of Vietnam. Halong bay consists of over (3000 –check this number) small islands made of limestone that seem to have just fallen into the Gulf of Tonkin and stayed where they currently lie. Each island looks like a small mountain covered in green with a base that has been eroded away by thousands of years of the waters crashing against them. This makes for an outrageous scene and because the waters are naturally calm, makes it seem a bit mystic while riding on the bay.
D and I booked this trip on The Pinta Cruiser Junk Boat that was recommended through our hotel in Hanoi, and the package included a pick-up from the hotel. 8:30 am sharp and we were off. On the way to Halong Bay, we shared the 11 passenger bus with 5 other people. We found out later, they were all from Australia, but all from different parts of Australia. We struck up conversation with the couple that was sitting closest to us on the bus and made good conversation just about the whole 3 ½ hour bus ride to the bay. All of us would be on the same “junk” boat for the evening, so we figured we should get to know them now as we would inevitably meet later anyhow. The two Aussies, Gerard and Angie, were from Brisbane and ended up being really great people along with the others as well.
On the way, we passed through the Vietnam countryside and got to take photographs in our head as to what goes on in the villages outside of the tourist towns. Although there were not a Billion, or even a million mopeds, there were quite a few along the way and, true to form, there were trees, ducks, pigs and everything else you can imagine on the back of these little two wheel wonders. The individual little towns along the way seemed to be as basic as you might possible imagine. A salon, a market and a moped mechanic seemed to be staples and in between, there were rice paddies along the whole route. Old ladies and hard working men dotted the countryside with their coolie hats while they dredged through the mud of the rice paddies.
When we got to Halong Bay, we tossed our luggage onto the boats and were greeted with a welcome drink made of fresh watermelon juice. Back up, the luggage… apparently, 5 years of traveling on our own through different countries around the world isn’t quite enough for Brian and Denae to figure out that we don’t need to pack everything and the kitchen sink just for a short vacation. We have already discussed the excuses that “we didn’t have time to pack right” and “we haven’t ever taken a trip this long, so we’re not really sure what to bring”. These excuse plus more that we have thrown in there still doesn’t change the fact that we had 2 enormous bags and another two “small” bags with more crap in them than was really necessary. We were “those guys” on the boat with too much luggage. The people we hung out with on the boat would ask how long we were staying in Vietnam. Probably expecting that we would say a year…at best 6 moths with bags we had, but No Way Jose, a mere two weeks and we were blowing this popsicle stand. No worries though, the worst that it amounted to was a few snickers at our expense and that’s not so bad, just luggage I guess. I digress. As we parted form the port, we past all of the other junk boats that were docked there and finally made it to a little open water. The first time the whole trip that there weren’t more than 70 or so other vehicles, cycles and vessels within ten feet of us (I know it was only the second day, but remember, A BILLION MOPEDS).
(A glimpse of Halong Bay)
(There are a number of stories regarding the legend of Halong Bay. Here goes another one from Frommers: “A Vietnamese fable says that the towering limestone-karst rock formations at Halong were formed with the crash landing of a dragon sent by the prehistoric gods of early Vietnamese animism to protect the country form an invading navy. The picturesque area did, in fact, play host to some important Vietnamese naval victories against Chinese forces, but the bay is most famous for its UNESCO World Heritage status, its emerald green water, and the 3000 islands of towering limestone in the Gulf of Tonkin. The total area of the bay is around 606 sq. miles.” –Frommers: Vietnam 2006.)
Our tour guide explained to us the legend of Halong Bay and how a Dragon from the water and a fairy from the sky had fallen in love to produce 100 sons of which the Vietnamese were born. Stories were told and friends were met as our boat pushed through the calm waters of Halong Bay. The day was sunny out, but there was a fog or a mist in the air that didn’t allow us to see much past about 5 miles or so. Still quite a ways, but I could imagine that on a totally clear day, this place would be even more magical than it already was. Instead, we got the feel that there was something really mystical about this place. The fog added to it and as we creped through these mountainous islands, you felt calm and relaxed.
(Enjoying the fresh air in Halong Bay.)
(The floating village near the cave)
(Emerald green waters of Halong Bay)
(Our amazingly fun group: Alex, Gerard, Angie, Sarah, Robbie, and B)
(A view climbing up to the cave.)
We stopped at a particular island to see a cave that had been discovered by the French in 1901 while they had occupied Vietnam. The Viet Cong had also used this cave as a hide-out during the war with the United States. The cave is called Surprise Cave and we weren’t sure if it got its name from the way it was found, or the prominent natural phallic symbol that you can’t miss upon entering the second cave in the complex. Either way, it was a very interesting cave as the ceilings looked like they had been formed by the water as they were smooth without stalactites hanging from them. The colored lights created a sort of Gaudi style picture and was truly a surprise for the both of us.
(Surprise!!) 
(Simply awesome!)
(Lighting and a walking path through the cave was added in 1999.)
(Exiting the cave with a lovely view.)
(Sunset!)
Back to the boat, we continued to cruise around and anchored for dinner. The food on this boat was incredible and seemed like it just kept coming. Every time we thought we were finished, there was another chicken with lemongrass or beef vegetables dish coming our way--a great way to experience the food of the culture as well. Just when we thought we were done, our tour guide had everyone come together, and to our surprise, brought out a cake that said Happy Anniversary to the both of us. Apparently, the tour group we booked through asked if there were any special occasions when we signed up for the cruise. Denae replied to let him know that we were taking our Vietnam trip to celebrate our 5 years of marriage. We had forgotten about that little questionnaire, so this was really nice to have a few others to celebrate with. It was a pretty big hit too, because they gave everyone cake and booze to celebrate (Go Us!!). We listened to our tour guide tell ghost stories and then rolled ourselves up stairs on the deck to enjoy the clear skies and the beautiful stars that capped off a wonderful day and an even better evening. 
There is something about waking up, opening the door to your room and seeing huge mountains that fall into the water. That’s exactly what I did the morning I woke up in Halong bay. Sleepy eyed, with a toothbrush in hand, I opened the door to our cabin to check the temperature outside and to see if I needed a light coat or not. As soon as I opened the door, that unbelievable feeling awe that Halong bay brings to you hit me right in the eyes. So, forgetting about how cool it was or whether or not I needed a jacket or not, I brushed my teeth while staring at natured beauty while it had me in its grasps. And we cruised to a small floating fishing village about 15 minutes from where we had anchored for the night. We arrived at the fishing village which was neat to see how people can adapt to an environment no matter what conditions or where they are in the world. Floating houses and villages had vegetable stands, schools and some normal conveniences that we enjoy in our commercialized lifestyle. These people just live the way they knew how and for them, we were their opportunity to make a little pay-dirt while they could.
Women and children would cruise up to the side of the boat selling anything form fresh cultured pearls to Pringles and water. When I say children, I mean girls who are about 7 years old who would row the boat (sometimes with their feet) while their four year old sisters and brothers would help show off merchandise all while keeping an eye on the 10 month old child who was sitting on the seat just enjoying the feel of the boat. Gives you a little perspective as to how they live their lives on a daily basis. Seeing as our room was on the bottom deck, the girls from the village would row up and peek their heads over the side and with their best pouty face ask us if we would buy shells that they had collected from the pearl farms. Not really interested, I went to the room and grabbed a couple of boxes of crayons and balloons that I had brought along for the trip after our neighbor had mentioned that the floating villages of Siem Riep (where we are heading) were so filled with poverty, that she wished she had something to give the children. I figured, every kid loves balloons and a few crayons could brighten up anyone’s day (an artist’s perspective of course). The kids were all smiles when I passed over the balloons which made me feel better than collecting another shell souvenir that would eventually make it to our junk pile at home.
Up to breakfast, it was another meal where there was entirely too much food, but where everyone felt compelled to eat whether their stomach told them to stop or not. The food was just too good not to and so once again, we rolled upstairs to enjoy the views.
(The children in their boats.)
(The little baby along for the ride with big sister.)
(A view of our boat.)
Not too long after breakfast, our guide came up to grab us to see who wanted to head on a kayak tour of the bay. D and I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity and so five minutes later we were off, paddling our way through the mountain islands with yet another perspective of this bay. We ran into another fishing boat with a man and his daughter on it so D and I made our way over there and handed over a couple of the balloons that we had in our pockets. I’m not sure if I have ever seen somebody so happy after receiving such a tiny little gift of color and plastic. This girl’s eyes lit up with gleaming joy. Again, I had that good feeling all over—seeing someone smile from the tiniest gesture.
(Paddles up!)
We continued on across the bay and our tour guide, Hang, had told us that he would take us to a few caves to check out. Hang took us to a remote section of the bay where we could hear nothing but birds and the water as we cruised through these natural arches and caves and ended up in a small lagoon that looked perfect for swimming. On the way out, we noticed a monkey climbing on one of the mountain faces and got a feel of exactly how remote the place was. When we looked up, the local boat police were waiting for us right outside of one of the cave entrances. Hang told us to continue on while he paid a small fine for trespassing and taking us into the caves and coves which was a protected site. Go Hang!!!
(Smile!)
(How relaxing!)
(A lady going back to her village.) 
(Our Junk Boat: The Pinta Cruiser)
(The man coming to pick up and store the kayaks.) 
(The children still trying to sell us their shells.)
After the kayaking trip, we headed back to the boat where we all enjoyed the top deck once more and exchanged information with our new friends we had shared our experience with over the past 24 hours or so and cruised back into the harbor to catch our bus back to Hanoi and then our flight to the town of Hue.
(Kayaking through the caves in a remote and beautiful area.) (Watching the sun set!)
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