Halong Bay

And I have to include a picture of my friend and awesome travel partner, Maame who has been nice enough to put up with my photo requests!

Shirt: Borrowed from my Dad

Jean shorts: J. Crew

Bikini: Victoria's Secret

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (borrowed from a friend)

I hope everyone's week is going well!  Time here in Vietnam is flying by! I can't believe my vacation is more than halfway over.  Today we traveled 3.5 hours outside of Hanoi to visit a UNESCO heritage site, Halong Bay.  While our tour guide was convinced that a trip to Vietnam without a trip to Halong Bay didn't count as a trip to Vietnam, I'm not sure I would go quite that far.  It was definitely worth the trip though and was a welcome change of space from the hustle and bustle of Hanoi.

Given how hot it is here (and after sweating through my outfit from Monday), I opted for an oversize linen shirt (thanks Dad!) which was very breathable and doubles as a great bathing suit cover-up (even though I misread the itinerary and we didn't have a chance to swim...)

Halong (or "Descending Dragon") Bay is a huge bay, with almost 2000 limestone islands that have formed over the past 500M years.  The islands all have very interesting names, including Elephant, Monkey, and Fighting Rooster.  Though most of the lake is uninhabited, there is a small group of people that live in several fishing villages floating on the lake.  

We arrived at the hotel after a long drive and had a delicious Vietnamese lunch on the boat.  After lunch, we kayaked around the bay and then hiked through a cave to admire the stalagmite and stalactite.  Most people spend 2 or 3 days at Halong Bay, but we only had a day as we are trying to make the most of our trip.  I've included some pictures below.  

One of the ladies from the fishing village who gave us a ride around the bay 

View of the bay

Sailing into the cave

Sailing around Halong Bay

Beautiful light inside the cave

Rock formations inside the cave

Have a great day!

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