Stunning Halong Bay, Vietnam

Thanksgiving came 10 weeks into our trip, so to avoid homesickness in all of us for family, food, and football, we decided to splurge a little with a trip on a Vietnamese "junk" for 2 nights in Halong Bay.

There are some places that are so stunning, pictures can't do them justice.  I tried from every angle to take pictures that would capture the beauty of Halong Bay, but nothing came out the way it really appeared to me.  Halong Bay is known for its stunning limestone karst topography that seems to go on forever. There are almost 2000 islands, most of which are uninhabited. Unfortunately, we didn't get glorious sunshine, but even in the cloud (and occasional rain), the beauty of the place was visible from every angle of the boat.

Day 1 had us picked up from our hotel in Hanoi and put in a van with 2 other couples for a long, bumpy 4 hour drive to Hanoi.  Driving in Hanoi (or anywhere in Vietnam) is worthy of a whole other blog post - lets just say we are happy to be alive each time we emerge unscathed from a vehicle.

We had booked this trip somewhat last minute (like most of our trip) and without really knowing what we were getting - but we ended up completely overwhelmed by what we signed up for. Our "junk" (such a misnomer - it was lovely) was called the White Dolphin and had about 8-10 cabins.

The White Dolphin

The Dining Room - home to TOO MUCH food

The other two couples on the White Dolphin had the cabins on the top floor, so we had the bottom deck all to ourselves - which meant Maggie had her own room and her own bathroom - thrilling.  After a huge lunch (this became a theme), we went kayaking around a small water village where families live in tiny 1-room huts built on water, partially connected to the other houses and a tiny school that only goes up to 6th grade or so - when most of the kids stop going to school so they can help their parents.

Houses in the Fishing Village

                   
That night, we ate a huge dinner, drank some beers, and had a great time talking to the two other couples on the boat (one American-ish couple, one Brazilian couple) and our Vietnamese guide who taught us about Vietnamese life - including how difficult it is to buy property (no mortgages - pay in full only!) and how even public school costs money (making it unattainable for many families).

Our next day (Thanksgiving Day) was spent on the "Little White Dolphin" - a smaller version of our junk. We spent the morning on a beach playing soccer and hiking up a hill to take in the views, and the afternoon kayaking through the many caves in the Bay.  Kids both loved and hated (brrrr- cold water) jumping off the junk  into the Bay below.

While we didn't have the traditional Thanksgiving Feast, we certainly feasted on just as many dishes as if we were home, which made us feel a little less homesick for turkey, stuffing and pie!

The last morning was spent in "the most beautiful caves in Halong Bay." We have seen many caves on our adventures thus far, so while these in fact were quite stunning, they weren't our favorites - although it could have been the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds making their way through the caves with us.

Look! We aren't bickering!

All in all, a delightful 3 days spent in Halong Bay, and a Thankgsiving we aren't likely to forget anytime soon.