Ha Long Bay

We arrived in Hanoi in the afternoon and had a trip on a boat out to Ha Long Bay the next morning. Before we left the city though we stopped by the local water puppet theater to see Vietnamese water puppetry. It was developed by farmers possibly during the flood season. Using carved wooden puppets with movable joints, the puppeteer is able to control the puppet from behind a screen and the mechanism for controlling the puppet are hidden under the water. Most scenes are pastoral and show farm work and comedic episodes. Mythical dragons and lions make an appearance as well. It was a very impressive display of skill in an artform we had never seen before.

The next morning we set out on a junk cruiser from Ha Long City and immediately started taking in the wonderful shapes of the bay. The limestone islands come in beautiful shapes that are a feast for the eyes. We lunched on our way to Bai Tu Long bay, which is less frequented and just as beautiful. While there we visited a floating village. Clusters of families live on floating houses in the bay and earn a living raising and farming fish. We took a small row boat around the village and stopped by the floating primary school they have for the children. We also had a chance to swim around the waters of the bay, which were very warm and there were almost no waves. it was like an enormous salt water pool.
Our junk cruise ship
Floating through the village
Absolutely stunning views
We moored in a bay for the evening and had a delicious dinner of seafood, seafood and some more seafood. It's hard to remember all the different aquatic animals we ate, but they were very fresh and delicious. The air outside was so nice Rashmi and I decided to sleep out on top of the boat and watch the stars. This worked out great until it started raining at 3 in the morning and we had to retreat to our cabin.
A sunset picture
There are many of these pictures...
Next morning we woke up and set of kayaking along the islands near Cat Ba island. Our guide showed us a lagoon that can only be entered by paddling through a tunnel in the island. The scenery was overwhelming with giant scarred cliffs covered in flowing greenery while chirping birds and insects buzzed inside. We took a dip at a private beach and continued kayaking after lunch, exploring the cliffsides. That evening we went onto Cat Ba island proper and checked into the nicest place we stayed at this entire trip. It was a 4 star hotel, although it's sheets smelled a little mildewy, it was still a very luxurious and enjoyable place to relax.
Kayaking in the lagoon
The view from the balcony of our hotel
Almost like James Bond island
Cruising about the bay
The next day we took a ship shaped like a rocket back to the mainland. It had an enclosed cabin which was a definite necessity as it bounced and skipped along the water back to shore. We definite had a great experience on the trip and it was nice going through a tour company for once as it had things taken care of and we still got to be active on the trip. We arrived in Hanoi in the afternoon with enough time to catch the night train up into the mountains to visit Sa Pa!