Halong Bay, the actual trip

In the previous blog, I got all wrapped up in the luxury of our junk (boat). But rest assured, the comfort of the boat was only exceeded by the amazing scenery of Halong Bay.

We cruised through countless rugged limestone islands, surrounded by jade coloured water. We stopped at some amazing caves in the afternoon, then our local guide took us on a tour through them.




















After that, eight of us went kayaking through the islands. Our guide asked if we wanted the short or long route after about an hour. We opted for long, and spent about 2 1/2 hours kayaking in paradise. We paddled through some cave like openings into secluded lagoons, completely surrounded by mountains.

It was both envigorating and peaceful. We were not too tired when we returned, took some showers, then met for dinner. The dinner was even more elaborate than lunch, and to be honest, I was still too full from lunch (even after kayaking) to eat a bite. It seemed such a shame, but my body said noooooo.

As you may have guessed, I have still not lost the weight I gained in India, and maybe put on a little more this part of the trip.

I am definitely heading up to Chiang Mai after the GAP tour, for at least 10 days of yoga. I must lighten up on the meals in the meantime.

We woke up to a light breakfast, hiked to the top of an island with a 360 view of the Bay, then went back to the junk for the bigger breakfast (yes, I am going to explode!).

We drove back to the city, and I jumped on the fastest internet in months, and am completely caught up in blogs and pictures (don't forget my flickr account).

We take an overnight train south to Hue tonight, then further south for some sun and sand.

More soon.....