Ha Long Bay

Our visit to Ha Long Bay can best be described as a trip to paradise. We rented out a big wooden boat, almost big enough to be considered a ship, all to ourselves. There were 17 of us with our guide, Truc included and the crew of the ship, with plenty of space to spread out and soak up the sun. Now I know this trip is technically an internship and we are going to be starting the work portion very soon, but Ha Long Bay is one of the most beautiful places in all of Viet Nam, so we decided to take a day and enjoy it.

We took off from the busy port around 11 after a 3 hour drive to get there. (I read "Born on the Fourth of July" on the busride, a short novel about an American veteran who gets wounded in Viet Nam. I really liked it, probably because the author writes as if he's writing in a journal, and that's how I write) The breeze smells like sea water and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. It was hot and sunny, but the gusts of sea breeze made everything okay. At first everyone is laying on the hot wooden deck, immediatley taking advantage of being able to tan themselves, but of course I'm slathering on sunscreen like it's my job (because it is my job when I lifeguard) and making sure my stuff is in the shade. (the Mom in me comes out while traveling sometimes too)

So as we're trekking out to the more scenic parts of the bay, we see other boats like ours, wooden with big dragon decorations carved into the front and colorful flags hanging on rope that's hung from the tallest parts of the boat all the way down becoming attached to the sides. The boats are filled with other Westerners like us; Vietnamese people don't rent huge ships to take them out to the bay, they ride in smaller boats full of treasures to sell to the silly tourists like us. While we're still moving forward at a fairly quick pace, a small boat we dubbed "Food Pirates" attached to the side of our boat and began advertising their booty. What's that? $2 dollars for a delicious, fresh peeled pineapple? I can get them for 30 cents on the streets, but alas, I'm stranded out here on this boat and I see no other means of obtaining a pineapple, so I'll pay your ridiculous toll. The pineapple is just as delicious. My friends buy some things too, scoffing at how they feel ripped off from the greedy Food Pirates. But as that small boat finished selling their lot and pulled away, we saw a small Vietnamese boy sleeping under the top deck. I didnt' feel so ripped off after that, knowing that my $2 would probably pay for the little boy's dinner that night. Their aggresive tactics worked pretty well anyhow, perhaps I should begin a food pirating business on Loon Lake when I return....

I moved up to the very front of the boat after that, and sat on the edge next to the wooden dragon carved into the deck. 'Ha Long' means descending dragon, and there's a proberb involving an ancient battle with the Chinese that explains why the huge rocks jut out of the Bay as they do. I feel so at home on that boat. I love the water so much and being so close to it without any barriers was one of the most awesome feelings I can describe. When we reach our destination in a very scenic area of the bay, our cameras go crazy capturing the awesomeness of the mountainous islands that seem to jump out of the sea like a tree growing out of the earth. (I'll have to show you my pictures later, I got some really good ones) Then we're served lunch. Fresh crab and shrimp that we crack and peel is served first, so good. Then there are the spring rolls, some french fries, fish and squid as well as the ever present bowl of rice. Pineapple is served for dessert, but my haul from the pirates tastes much better I think.

I can't wait to get out of the cabin after lunch and get back into the fresh sea air! We try to wait before we go swimming since we've all just stuffed our faces, but what the heck, we only have so long and the crew are urging us to "Swim, Swim! No sleep! No sit down! Swim!" with big smiles on their faces. They know how amazing this trip into the bay is and they don't want us to waste a second of it! So we perch off the side of the boat, which is maybe 15 feet out of the water at the highest point, and we leap off into the water, making faces and having our pictures taken by our friends still on the boat. Truc warns us the current is strong, so we swim like hell to get to the ladder as soon as we surface after our jumps, then haul ourselves up the ladder and climb back to the top of the deck to do it again. (I'm still sore from all this swimming and climbing, p.s. but it was so worth it) I, being in the lifeguard mentality, decide to untie one of the lifesaver rings from the side, just in case. As I undo the last knot, the damn thing falls off the side, but there just so happened to be a kid who was too busy saving his swimsuit from falling off to be swimming fast enough against the current, so we was struggling to get back to the ladder and he used the floaty happily. That's right Waterford Oaks Wavepool, I'm so vigilent I see potential swimming disasters before they even happen. Lifeguard skills put to good use.

We jumped until our muscles couldn't lift us anymore. Then we headed back to the port, savoring every minute of the beautiful scenery and tropical feel of the Bay that we possibly could. I was so sad to get off that boat, it's the place where I've felt most at home on this whole trip so far. But my paradise trip had to end sometime I suppose.

Warm wishes from VN, and hoping all is well at home :)