Ha Long Bay

Friday we left Hanoi on a bus for Ha Long Bay.  We were not sure what to expect, but after a workout at the Hilton Opera gym we were anxious to get out of busy Hanoi and on the water.

Ha Long Bay is 600 square miles of salt water off the north coast of Vietnam that is populated by some 1,969 islands (according to our guide).  The vast majority of these islands are uninhabited by humans.  Researchers have found evidence of prehistoric humans in Ha Long Bay as far back as 18,000 B.C.  Now it is a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to some 10,000 people, most of whom work in the tourism business.  The following photo shows our transportation into the bay and our first night's accommodations.  We were the residents of room 201.

There is far too much in Ha Long Bay to mention, and as you might suspect, Sandy took far too many photos to post.  The following photo shows Sandy with our ship's captain, Barefoot Captain Jack Sparrow, no less.  FYI, Sandy is the tall one.

Here is a photo of your happy bloggers with two of the 1,969 karst islands in the background.  This 600 square miles is a tropical paradise.

A karst is a landscape formed from the erosion of soluble rock, in this case limestone.  Since it is soluble rock, karsts usually come with some pretty impressive caves.  The big cave system in Ha Long Bay is now a tourist stop, but previously provided shelter from typhoons to fishermen and their families for thousands of years.  This photo shows what our guide called the "living room" of the cave system from the rear of the cave looking towards the exit.

  
After a swim on the beach of one of the islands, we dropped anchor for the evening.  The following photo shows sunset from our ship-birth's window.

 Following sunset, we had a delicious dinner that included rice (of course!), prawns, stuffed crab, squid, vegetables, fries and steamed Sea Bass.  Wow!  It was some of the freshest food we've ever had.