The day started early as we were off to Halong Bay. It is a three and 1/2 hour drive each way. Pleasant enough trip, with the scenery changing and the company good. Getting out of Hanoi was probably the toughest bit. Like much of Vietnam, Halong is in the midst of a building boom. We went to the docks and caught our boat, which was just for us :) As we left port we had a lovely seafood lunch on board. We then meandered around some of the nearly 2000 islands (karsts) that make up this World Heritage site. Halong translates as `where the dragon descends into the sea`. Again the weather gods smiled on us, and we had a fine, warm and mainly clear day. This part of the world always seems to have a haze clouding the view in the distance. After a pleasant couple of hours floating and admiring, we called in at two of the caves that the area is also famous for. The first was more touristy and lit up by coloured lights so was not as good as the second which was left more natural. The formations in the caves were excellent and we spent a very interesting hour in there before coming out to float back to Halong and bus back to Hanoi. We ended the day by walking round the lake and checking out what the locals do for entertainment.
