Hi everyone,
Just a quick update as we unexpectedly found an internet connection at the hotel we're staying in tonight!
We're now on Day 2 of our tour of Halong bay, having spent last night in a cozy cabin on a Chinese Junk (the boats with the big sails that you have probably seen on tea packaging!).
It is a really lovely old boat and we've had a great time cruising around the bay and enjoying freshly cooked seafood meals on board. We know for certain that the seafood is fresh because we've been stopping off at floating fishing villages to stock up every so often! The villages are really quite amazing - people actually live all the time in the very simple floating houses, and most make their living by catching and selling fish (and the occasional packet of Pringles!) at market and to passing boats.
Fishing village in Halong Bay
The area is really famous for its scenery - characterised by incredible weirdly shaped limestone rock formations and islets (as seen in the James Bond film 'Tomorrow Never Dies'!).
So of course we've taken brazillions of photos, some of which we'll include here, the rest of which will join the now massive file of 'to be prioritised at a later date' photos!
We struck lucky with the weather in the end too. Like China, they've had a particularly harsh winter in Vietnam this year - which is taking its time to finish! So when we set off yesterday we were both struggling to maintain enthusiasm and saying how 'atmospherically misty' it was going to be... (i.e. freezing cold, grey and damp!) - and it did stay like that yesterday evening and this morning - but at about 11am today it started brightening up, and turned into the first really sunny afternoon of spring - so we got to see the landscape in a good range of climatic conditions!
We also stopped at an island yesterday to see some amazing caves which have formed over millions of years by volcanic activity (referred to as 'Vulcans' by our German shipmate, Robert) - and waves. Some of the caves were really spectacular with giant stalactites and stalagmites, most of which have equally elaborate legends attached to them... in fact some of the stories are so convoluted that we were tempted to sneak off into one of the darker corners of the cave after half an hour or so of enthusiastic explanation by our guide!
Colourful caves
It's just a bit of a shame that some of the recently added 'mood lighting' gives the feeling of a Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen - inspired Santa's grotto. Viewing them through the black and white setting on the camera actually made for an improvement!
We've also managed to partake in some of the voluntary activities on offer today - mountain biking through a national park area and a lovely little village on Cat Ba island, and kayaking around the bay to explore a few of the tiny and beautiful protected beaches that are scattered around the bay. No doubt our biceps will be creaking tomorrow at their first real exertion for 6 weeks or so (since we last went kayaking in fact!)
Us, being active (and then sitting down quickly!)
We didn´t get too close to this one in our kayak - looks dangerous!
Baby monkey and incy wincey fish seen on the islands
Eating a fresh seafood lunch just off Cat Ba Island
Anyway, it's bed time now and we're very pleased about this particularly because we are in a relatively fancy hotel as part of the organised tour and were embarassingly excited to find in our room...guess what?! No, not a jacuzzi bath, nor a surround sound stereo system... but a kettle! It's the first time we've had one on the entire trip and means that Sarah can finally use some of the organic rooibos tea bags that she's had carefully stashed away in a rucksack pocket since we left in November - hooray for tea!!
Thanks so much everyone by the way for the book recommendations and travel tips - and for staying in touch too - we miss you all lots and love hearing news from home.
Until China then,
Sarah and Phil x x
