Halong Bay

Halong Bay was a bit of a wash for me. It's extremely touristy which means people arrive in bulk and are stuffed into "junks" which are more like cruise ships made up to look like old-fashioned junk barges. They served us every 3 hours a ton of food, (all seafood) and there was a definite itinerary. It was all fine, but it was so different from the other experiences I was having, and I wanted to ride that wave a little longer.

The people on the boat were exteremely nice and I hit it off with a couple from the UK. I told them that I wished there was a catalog of UK accents organized by region and class so I could identify where someone was from. They wanted that as well. Justin was pretty good at imitating the different ones.

I also ran into some people from Walnut Creek who had relocated to Malaysia for work. Apparently, the manufacturing part of Silicon Vally is fast going overseas and with it, people from Silicon Valley. India is also having a go at it and they are recreating SV local shops (like Whole Foods). It's like they are creating a Palo Alto in India with the intent of attracting SV folk. Very interesting.

Halong Bay is FANTASTIC. It's full of cliffs jutting out from it. There are areas that are completely secluded and the only way in, is through a tunnel in the rock. Inside, you are surrounded by cliffs. Honeymooners, start taking notes.

The water is a wonderful green color that contrasts well with the blue and there are some massive caves in the cliffs around that have only been discovered as recently as '96.

I arrived back from the boat this afternoon and checked into my hotel. This is my last night here, I'm afraid. Tomorrow, my flight leaves at 11:35pm so I've got most of the day to finish up last minute odds and ends.

I'll miss Hanoi a lot, but I've got a good life back home that I'm also looking forward to continuing.