Halong Bay
For the next two nights, our home will be aboard the Dragon Legend on Halong Bay. But before starting out mini cruise, our journey took us to one of the largest roadside tourist stops I think I have ever seen. Selling everything from large (I mean human sized) sculptures that they would happily ship to your home town (Tulsa was on the list!) to jewelry to every flavor of Pringles known to man. Some of the artisans were disabled, so I hope this provided a good form of employment and not an exploited one. We stuck with the Pringles which I'm sure our neighbors will be thankful for.
There's a nice, new cruise port in a town that looks very much like a brand new city in Florida complete with an amusement park, Ferris wheel, and brand new, empty buildings. There are all sorts of boats waiting to take visitors on cruises, from one day to over night to longer. We'll be out for two nights. Fortunately we have the boat all to ourselves which is great both for us and also for any passengers that might have ended up with us.
Halong Bay is made up of 1969 islands jutting up from the ocean. I'm sure you have seen them in a movie, possibly James Bond. Our experience was mostly overcast and a little foggy which made for a very mysterious look. However, it probably wasn't the best for photos.
We partook in lunch on the deck while our boat re positioned to an area away with the main bay. Later in the afternoon, we took a little sightseeing trip around a few of the islands giving us a closer vantage point. Some of our group kayaked around the islands. It gave us an idea of what we were in for.
The next morning we arose early for a trip to a local fishing village. These little villages are mini towns with schools, small convenience stores and house boats. Fishing is the livelihood for most people here, but they also have a cultured pearl operation. Various types and sizes of oysters are raised specifically for pearls and the pearls are then made into jewelry available for visitors. Not having pearled shopped lately, I'm sure prices were discounted from anything we could find back home.
Our next stop was another of the islands with a very nice cave that was reached via a couple of hundred steps to an overlook and a passageway to the cave. The cave itself consisted of two rooms, one slightly larger than the other. Artificial light lit the stalagmites lining the ceiling. It was an interesting way to see what the inside of some of the islands contain.
Next, we climbed back down to the beach where a barbecue awaited us. Tables set with table clothes lined the beach on sand brought in by the cruise company for the enjoyment of their guests. We dined on several types of meats and fish grilled over an over fire. It was quite lovely.
We returned to Dragon Legend for a little downtime and our second class of the workshop. The work being shown is really quite impressive.
After dinner, we retired to our room for a restful night on the sea.
Tomorrow: On to Hoi An
There's a nice, new cruise port in a town that looks very much like a brand new city in Florida complete with an amusement park, Ferris wheel, and brand new, empty buildings. There are all sorts of boats waiting to take visitors on cruises, from one day to over night to longer. We'll be out for two nights. Fortunately we have the boat all to ourselves which is great both for us and also for any passengers that might have ended up with us.
Halong Bay is made up of 1969 islands jutting up from the ocean. I'm sure you have seen them in a movie, possibly James Bond. Our experience was mostly overcast and a little foggy which made for a very mysterious look. However, it probably wasn't the best for photos.
We partook in lunch on the deck while our boat re positioned to an area away with the main bay. Later in the afternoon, we took a little sightseeing trip around a few of the islands giving us a closer vantage point. Some of our group kayaked around the islands. It gave us an idea of what we were in for.
The next morning we arose early for a trip to a local fishing village. These little villages are mini towns with schools, small convenience stores and house boats. Fishing is the livelihood for most people here, but they also have a cultured pearl operation. Various types and sizes of oysters are raised specifically for pearls and the pearls are then made into jewelry available for visitors. Not having pearled shopped lately, I'm sure prices were discounted from anything we could find back home.
Our next stop was another of the islands with a very nice cave that was reached via a couple of hundred steps to an overlook and a passageway to the cave. The cave itself consisted of two rooms, one slightly larger than the other. Artificial light lit the stalagmites lining the ceiling. It was an interesting way to see what the inside of some of the islands contain.
Next, we climbed back down to the beach where a barbecue awaited us. Tables set with table clothes lined the beach on sand brought in by the cruise company for the enjoyment of their guests. We dined on several types of meats and fish grilled over an over fire. It was quite lovely.
We returned to Dragon Legend for a little downtime and our second class of the workshop. The work being shown is really quite impressive.
After dinner, we retired to our room for a restful night on the sea.
Tomorrow: On to Hoi An
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