The truely stunning Halong Bay

After a late evening at the 'couch surfing' gathering we surfaced the following morning full of excitement, firstly because it wasn't raining and secondly we were going on our 3 day trip to what is considered one of the most beautiful natural wonders of the world. With Hanoi behind us we arrived in Halong City to catch the junk that would take us around the bay. As we set sail the sky was hazy and in the distance we could see the blurred outlines of the islands. In total there are over 1,900 islands scattered across the bay and scanning the horizon thats all you could see - breathtaking.

During lunch onboard the sky became clearer and we arrived at one of the islands to visit the surprise cave. Inside this huge cave were massive staligmites and stalactites, some shaped like animals, praying budhas or human body parts! The sheer scale of the place would be hard to describe and the pictures probably won't do it justice either. Our next adventure involved taking kayaks out and paddling around the nearby islands. We explored the coastlines of several islands before entering into a tunnel that brought you out into a large pool of water surrounded by sheer rock faces. Returning to the boat we were in need of freshening up so we dived off the boat and had a dip. That evening we spent time on the top deck drinking and chatting with fellow travellers. Several of them were from our hotel in Hanoi which made our trip even more enjoyable.

The next day we started the day with more exercise walking up a steep mountain to a viewing point followed by another dip in the sea before breakfast. The boat then took us to Cat Ba Island where again we climbed another mountain, this time a lot harder to a viewing spot. The views were incredible but the summit was so crowded it spoilt it a little. When we reached the bottom Mark had carried a bottle of red wine with him and we celebrated our achievement by having a glass with our group. That afternoon after lunch we were then taken to Monkey Island to swim and just chill out after an exhausting day climbing. That evening we met up with several of the group for dinner and a few drinks overlooking the bay.

Our final day involved taking a slow meandering cruise through the vast array of islands before catching the bus in Halong City back to Hanoi. Overall the trip was amazing, the scenery was spectacular, we met some great people and it will be hard to forget.

We will be staying in Hanoi for the next couple of days arranging flights and visas to Laos.

Hope you are well back home.

Love

Mark & Rach. xxx