Halong Bay, Vietnam

After a restful day at sea when it was grey, cool and dreary, with disappointingly nothing to see, we docked this morning in Halong Bay in northern Vietnam. Halong Bay has been named on the 7 Natural Wonders of the World and comprises 3,000 limestone islets jutting out of the sea. Whole communities of families live there, mostly on sampans. 

We opted for a kayak excursion amongst the islands. We took a junk that took us deep into the bay where we boarded 2 man kayaks and then paddled even deeper into the bay passing through natural arches taking us into deep lagoons.

I had checked the weather before leaving and the forecast called for cool,showery weather in the north

With temperatures warming up considerably as we headed south. Unfortunately my brain focused on the southern part while packing and my wardrobe was sadly lacking in warmer, weatherproof clothes. But thankfully it remained dry and kayaking certainly warmed us up.  We returned to the junk for a typical Vietnamese meal of locally caught fish and fresh vegetables which they cooked right there.

After lunch we sailed another 20 minutes to a huge cavern, well hidden from the outside. It was accessed by climbing 200 winding steps up one of these islets. Inside there were 3 huge, spectacular chambers featuring huge stalagmites and stalactites.

Then it was back to the ship and a hot shower.