Hong Gai, Vietnam 4-20-09

Halong Bay is in the Gulf of Tonkin on the map. There are over 3,000 islands rising up out of the sea here. We took an early moring "junk" cruise through these magnificent rock formations. They are made of limestone and dolomite and have foliage that seem to drape the rocks. Many of the rocks have names. the monkeys or the toads etc... Ha Long means "dragon descending into the sea". The legend is told that there is still a huge sea monster that resides there. We didn't see it. We will have to come back. This is one of Vietnam's most visited attractions because of it's incredible natural beauty. These islands stretch over 80 miles. On our "3 hour tour" we did not see them all and it was not a clear day. It was overcast, thank goodness or we probably would not have been able to stand the heat! I am sure the photos would be even more glorious on a clear day...in winter...they never really get winter though!
The "junk" was quite large and we had a smooth sail in between the formations. We passed many a floating village where people mainly fish for a living and live day to day. The only "pirates" we encountered came in the form of really cute small children selling bananas. A small family pulled up next to our "junk" and wanted us to buy their bananas. The boat captain bought a few and we were on our way. It was a wonderful way to see the bay.
Kathleen found a balancing eagle at the market and firgured out that it could balance on almost anything!