Halong Bay - Vietnam's Pearl!

It was a beautiful morning with bright sunshine as we drove through Hanoi and crossed the Red River – no, we're not heading to Oklahoma! The Red River is Vietnam's 2^nd largest river behind the Mekong. What a contrast from Hanoi as we passed through lush green fields in the delta land with bananas,corn and other crops.

About 4 hours later we arrived at Halong Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin. This famous bay was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for it's natural beauty and biological diversity and encompasses almost 600 sq. miles of emerald green water studded with over 3000 limestone pinnacles in the Gulf of Tonkin. Over time, rain and elements created caves within some of the limestone rocks although Vietnam legends attribute them to a dragon's tail as he slipped into the water.

Just as we about to board our junk, the Paradise Cruise, our tour leader, Chris Gold, had some bad news for us. A big storm was approaching, and the Vietnamese Marine Authority was closing the bay for overnight stays. Just a short time ago a junk had sunk in the bay resulting in 13 deaths so the Vietnamese government was taking no chances. We would be allowed to sail in the bay until 5pm at which time we would have to leave the junk and overnight in a nearby motel. Needless to say we were all disappointed as this overnight in Halong Bay had been highly anticipated. It was one thing I had not gotten to do on my earlier trip..

As we set sail, the afternoon weather was beautiful making the formations even more breathtaking. Cameras were clicking on all sides as we tried to preserve these images before time ran out About 4pm Chris called a meeting in the lounge and, with a big grin on his face, reported the government had lifted the ban as the storm had turned north of us. We were ecstatic and immediately changed into bathing suits for swimming and kayaking in the bay. My kayaking experience consisted of 2 previous outings-- once in Tahiti and later in New Zealand, but the 'old skills' quickly returned and it felt almost surreal as we paddled through the beautiful water in the small bay, passing close to the green covered pinnacles silhouetted against the setting sun. What fun, but I was sure I'd have sore muscles as I climbed back on our boat.

For the early risers there was Tai Chi on the upper deck at sunrise.. A first for me but a great way to start the day. As we sat on the deck eating breakfast, local 'boat vendors' approached selling various wares. Goods and money were passed up and down in a basket on a long pole. Serious negotiations resulted in purchases of pearls for many of us. Our last activity was a boat ride to a nearby cave and a beautiful small bay. We weren't alone as a family of monkeys scampered about on the stone pinnacles. It was perfect ending to our overnight in 'Paradise.'

Sadly, we bid our crew a fond farewell and drove back to Hanoi to catch a late evening flight to Hue

From northeastern Vietnam...

Linda.