To Ha Long Bay

The train pulled in to Hanoi about 5:30 am. It was drizzling lightly. We stopped at a wholesale flower market that’s open from midnight until early hours in the morning. Then we drove to Ha Long Bay. Our journey took around 3.5 hours through the Red River Delta countryside. We stopped at a farm along the way to see the daily life of the local farming activities and rice fields. We arrived at Ha Long City by midday where we transferred to the Dragon’s Pearl Junk #1. This 11-cabin boat is modeled on the Chinese junks that used to sail these waters in earlier times. The woodwork is beautiful. The scenery is magical. There are nearly 2,000 limestone islets in the emerald waters of this massive UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s one of the coolest places on earth I’ve ever seen. The weather today was foggy making the area even more mysterious. Our group had the boat to ourselves. We had a fresh seafood lunch while cruising in the bay. There was time to kayak, swim, and relax before dinner.  We also went into the Thien Canh Son Cave. Very relaxing!