Halong Bay

Today we are on our way to Halong Bay where we will be doing an overnight cruise.

The first thing I will do is check the name of the boat. If it is the “Minnow” I am going to start lobbying to be Gilligan. I will lose that part to Jim who always gets the lead role. Tina and Emma will both want to be Maryanne. Tina will get that part as Emma will be cast as Ginger – alas, that is what happens when you dye your hair blond. So much for my pathetic try at humor.

The boat was named “Camilla,” by the way. The other passengers included a family from Texas and their friends, a family living in Ho Chi Minh City – the Dad is at the US State Dept there, a couple from Italy and a couple from Ireland. This is a small boat: they served copious amounts of food and our guide was a fellow named Tony, that cannot be his real name. Tony is great, very personable, funny and knowledgeable.

The tour we are doing of Halong Bay starts in Lan Ha Bay. This is supposed to be less crowded. It’s still touristy but the spectacular beauty of the place Trump’s anything negative. We were able to kayak in a sheltered bay and go through sea caves. Lucky travelers are able to see monkeys in the area. We did not see any monkeys.

Below are some pictures of the area. They do not adequately relate the beauty and serenity of the place.

Tina and I did tai chi and we all took a course on making spring rolls. Tina was the star.

We returned to Hanoi on Christmas Eve. We will be having dinner with Emma and her friend James who also works at her school.

The next day, Christmas, was spent in Hanoi. We spent some time shopping in the old quarter. We did not find much to buy, everything blurs into a sameness.

Had an early dinner with Emma and her friend Pearl.