Peace of junk (Feb. 6/09 - Hanoi, Vietnam)

Ahhhh, waking up on a boat. There's something so serene about it. We spent the morning kayaking amongst the towering limestone cliffs, past rocky beaches overrun with monkeys, and through a natural arch that led into a little keyhole bay. It was a very pretty spot with the turquoise water and lush green pinnacles, but we only had an hour to paddle around before we were to lift the anchor and putter back toward civilization. We took a meandering, scenic route back, passing islands and pinnacles of all shapes and sizes, some complete with caves and arches. We were served lunch on the boat as we sailed, which was delicious once again. We certainly enjoyed our short and sweet little trip out in Halong Bay - the scenery, the company, and the little taste of luxury were wonderful!

We made our way back to Hanoi, and managed to get ourselves very lost after getting dropped off in the wrong place. Being lost and hot and sweaty with a heavy bag and a crappy map really sucks. But eventually we found a street that was on our map and made it back to our hotel. We both have to admit that despite having had a lot of fun in Vietnam, we are ready to move on. The timing is perfect because tomorrow we fly to Thailand!!!