Halong Bay...Just Another Unesco World Heritage Site

Halong Bay is one of those magical places.  You have to be there to appreciate it, pictures alone can never do it justice.  Limestone formations jutting from the ocean,   pushed from the sea bed by tectonic plate movement aeons ago, then eroded by wind and wave action give us the visual feast that is Halong Bay.

We pre-booked our overnight tour to Halong Bay from a travel agency located in the bar of the Bamboo Cafe.  Was this going to be another one of those tourist traps?

after a 3 hour bus ride we finally reached the Halong Bay Marina

we pulled out of the harbour in our tender....

...we passed some beautiful junks

...I could only hope that our junk would be as nice ... it wasn't

....once on board we were assigned our stateroom

... it was mundane enough  BUT was located very close to the engine room
when Mundain  had specifically requested and was promised that it would be  "far  away"
I had the evidence on the receipt but didn't bother to ruin someone else's cruise by forcing them to move

I calmed down as soon as lunch was served  on board,  about 1/2 hour after arrival...
...starting with fresh steamed clam appetizers which were almost totally consumed
by the time I remembered to take a few pics.

a light vinegarette slaw acted like a palate cleanser

followed by firm and juicy steamed prawns....

leading up to a flaky and moist fish steamed in soya...

then finished off with stir fried calamari and peppers...
by now any disappointment with my stateroom location was a distant memory...burp!

shortly after lunch, the itinerary provided for either a guided paddle boat tour
or a self-guided kayak tour , for up-close inspection of  the limestone formations...

Mrs. Mundain, still recovering from a sprained ankle chose the guided tour for us
and as you see from my mundane expression,  I was not too pleased

we approached a sea level cave bored through the rock...

and could see light on the other side...

entering the tunnel of the chamber,  the air felt  immediately cooler...

overhead, stalactites hung...

in the distance, many more formations and a floating village... 

a late afternoon breeze ...

kicks up a slight chop on the water ...

by early evening the seas calmed again as we approached the Kissing Rocks

and the sun sat low on the horizon as we passed the famous formation

we anchored ...

in a beautiful bay, watching the osprey  floating on the updrafts
then diving furiously for fish, talons first

I perched on the top deck waiting for the sunset

as the sun dropped lower, and lower, its rays lengthened
then finally shimmered reflectively on its palette, the sea

each ship having claimed its moorage for the evening...

tucked safely on the leeward side of a protective island...

before the sun finally set

the next morning after breakfast, we sailed for the Amazing Cave...

Mundain at the foot of the trail ascending the Amazing Cave

Having recently visited the Mulu Caves of Borneo, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, I thought the Amazing Cave would be "no big deal".

 I was wrong, as usual,  as the following photos will attest...

We emerged from the breathtakingly beautiful cave and gazed onto Halong Bay below

 

reminding Mundaine of Santorini, Greece ...
 maybe that's because the Greek calamari we ate whilst in Santorini
was imported from Vietnam (true fact)

the descent from the Amazing Cave revealed a heretofore unseen
 beautiful, sandy beach gently lapped by emerald waters

the charming boardwalk back to the junk
 protected the limestone from being downtrodden

an Mrs. Mundain hobbled along, still not fully healed

Mr. Mundain lagged behind as usual, pretending he was a real photographer

rounding the bend to the launch area....

...enterprising Vietnamese vendors sold live seafood swimming in
wicker baskets suspended from their boats...you cannot get much fresher than that

So Long Ha-Long, it's been great meeting ya!