Halong Bay, conclusion

Oops, I forgot I hadn't finished blogging about this trip!

On Day 3 I woke up at 4:30 a.m. It was already light outside. I laid in bed and watched the sun rise past the horizon, into the sky. We ate breakfast and then I packed up and was taken ashore. The boat I was on was headed back to the starting point but I was scheduled to have another night on the bay so I had to switch to a different boat. On shore I met up with my new boat mates. The plan was to start the day with our choice between a hike or bike ride. We all opted to do the hike owing to the amazing vista promised at the end. We started on our way and I began to be a little nervous as I saw people returning from the hike with shoes covered in mud. I wondered if my Teva's would be sturdy enough for what we were about to face. Others in my group were wearing flip flops but we were assured it would be fine. The hike was steep and indeed very muddy! It took over an hour to climb to the top of the hill. The weather was HOT and humid. We were all sweating so bad we were soaked. At the top the view was nice but there was a platform about 40 stairs high and the view from there was amazing!...And then it was time to go back down the trail, which proved harder than going up. By the end our feet were covered in mud but there was a nice pool of water where we rinsed off, enjoyed a cold drink and relaxed before loading the bus and heading off to lunch.

Lunch was very similar to the lunch of the previous day...in fact it was almost identical...but delicious all the same. You won't hear me complaining about seafood! At lunch I got to know my new friends a bit. A very diverse, fun group of people. I feel lucky to have met so many great people! After lunch a bus came to pick us up but it wasn't the same bus that had dropped us off which worried me since I had left my backpack on the other bus. At each stop prior to lunch we had been told to leave our belongings on the bus so I wrongly assumed we were to do the same this time. Our tour guide assured me he would recover my luggage. I hoped he was able to recover the bag with all its belongings. I didn't let it worry me and went ahead and boarded the bus which took us to the pier where we boarded a boat that took us to monkey island where we would have time to swim and hang out on the beach. Since I didn't have my bag I didn't have my swim suit so I decided to go on another hike in search of the monkeys the island was named for. No one else was interested with the memory of our morning hike still lingering in their legs so I headed off on my own. As I began the hike I was excited at the possibility of seeing monkeys...I LOVE MONKEYS!!! And then I realized that I was all alone, which isn't the smartest idea. And then I got nervous that I might actually see a monkey! Monkeys aren't exactly as cute and snuggly up close as they look from a distance. I've heard stories of people who've been attacked by monkeys. I continued the hike and then got to a point where the direction of the trail became unclear. I poked around a bit and then heard rustling in the trees. It made me a little nervous but I continued exploring. I heard the rustling again and decided it was time for me to turn back. I was too nervous that it might be a monkey. :-) On my way down I passed another single hiker and noticed he had a beer in his hand. We greeted each other, I told him I was unable to find my way to the top and he went up and I headed down. I reached the beach and shortly thereafter several monkeys made their way to the beach. I sat and watched them play. There was a mom and her young baby that were particularly of interest to me. What joy it gave me to watch the young monkey cuddle with its mom and then slowly venture out to play with something only to be startled and sent running back to the security mom's arms. It reminded me of the tremendous importance of motherhood. A role not to be underestimated or undervalued.

Then I saw the hiker I'd run into before ordering another beer. I asked him if he'd found the top. He said no, that shortly after we'd met up a monkey came out of the trees and stole the beer out of his hand! He showed me the picture of the monkey drinking his beer, hilarious! He said it scared him half to death. He was still a bit shaken. I'm glad I decided to come back when I did!

After enjoying the monkeys, the beach and the water we climbed back on the boat and headed back to the Cat Ba island. Both on our way to and from Monkey Island I found myself engaged deep in conversation with a 5 year old boy from Australia or maybe New Zealand? can't remember now, with an imagination the size of Texas! He wanted to play the "what if" game. What if the waters were infested with water. What if a snake came after me. What if, what if, what if. It was so cute! There was also a 10 year old girl from Indonesia. She was a joy. When we reached Cat Ba island she made me a bracelet from small flowers growing all around.

The sun went down and we loaded the boat I would spend the night on. Dinner looked like lunch. I'm beginning to think the menus are all the same! Still yummy, but very funny. We all had a good laugh about the never changing menu. I met new people, a reporter for a Vietnamese paper, a Scottish man just living the life in Vietnam and a Vietnamese couple. After good food and great company I headed to the top deck to enjoy another starry night and then tried to fall asleep while others were enjoying karaoke. My room was situated just in the right place so I could hear EVERYTHING happening on the boat. I could hear what was going on in the kitchen, people going up and down the stairs and lots of karaoke. I didn't get much sleep that night.

In the morning we had breakfast and began to head back to the mainland. Sailing out of the bay was just as beautiful as it had been on our way in. None of us could stop taking pictures. Then we arrived to the icon of Vietnam. Two islands side by side that look like two birds kissing.

My time in Vietnam was definitely a highlight of my first year in south east Asia. There are so many reasons to come back!