despite all the positive thoughts and prayers for sun, maybe even a dance or two, the first day in Halong Bay was an exact copy of the weather i had experienced in Hong Kong. and i couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed - of course i had hoped it would be right out of Indochine. but despite the fog, those peaks rising straight up out of the water took on an otherworldly feeling as if upon emerging from the mist, we would be somewhere else in time. our group spends the night on Cat Ba island, a seaside resort that somehow will never manage to look anything but tired.
today we go kayaking and the sun finally decides to make a guest appearance. this is the perfect way to pass - silently beneath the watchful gaze of these mountains. i understand now why there is an almost religious reverence for this place. have to wonder if the people who make a living fishing here feel the same way. we all have the tendency of taking things for granted especially without the context of comparison.
