Halong Bay

Halong Bay is one of the most beautiful spots in Viet Nam. Dave and I booked an overnight boat trip in Halong Bay through our hotel in Hanoi, the Rising Dragon 2. (Great place to stay, by the way, if you ever need lodging in Hanoi.) It is a 4 hour bus ride from Hanoi to Halong Bay so even though we left early in the morning it was after noon before we arrived at our boat. We boarded with about 20 other people, had lunch on board as we cruised out into the bay, then dropped anchor and were offered the opportunity to visit a fishing village by kayak. We were tired after almost two weeks of non-stop traveling, so we opted to stay on board and lounge on the top deck, reading our Kindles and taking in the views. It turned out to be a lovely laid back afternoon and evening and we were glad that we had taken the time to experience Halong Bay by boat.