Halong Bay

Halong Bay is a nominee for the 7 natural wonders of the world but I just wonder how something of such pure and immense natural beauty can be turned into a rubbish dump. Don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful place and our 2 day tour was worth every cent but I just find the pollution terribly sad. Why can't people show their environment the respect it deserves?


The main problem with Halong is that there are too many boats. Trying to choose 1 was an absolute mission, especially because I wanted something good. We'd be celebrating both Jacks' birthday and our anniversary so an ordinary trip was out of the question. After much deliberation I picked a boat called the Lagoon Explorer, mainly because it only has only 4 cabins. It ended up being only 6 of us and we had a great time. The food was super and the chef even presented Jackie with a few sculptural masterpieces (one of which was a carrot Ho Chi Minh fishing in a little pond).


The limestone karsts of the bay are truly special and cruising between them on an overnight trip is really the only way to see them.