Halong Bay was beautiful and tranquil... there were countless islands and grottos amoungst the limestone waters. Sorry for the long post, but pictures do speak a thousand words... so enjoy :-)

During our boat ride, we feasted on a huge gourmet banquet, explored some fluoro-lit caves and visited a fishing village. Below, is a floating school... part of the fishing village.

I was also fascinated with the lifestyle of these boat villages. It was sad to see little kids forced into labour by their parents. This young boy was selling fruits to passing tourists:

Just before lunch, we had the opportunity of picking live seafood from a fishing boat...

And for lunch, there were salads, spring rolls, fried hot chips, tofu with tomatoes, pipis, squid and much more!

The next couple of pics are from Thien Cung Grotto... The Jenolan Caves just don't compete against these crazy neon illuminated caves.

Another thing to note, is that most of the beaches in Halong Bay were man-made. The sand was shipped in from Nha Trang (which I visted later in the trip).

Beach lounges , umbrellas and huts were dottled all along the beach, but unfortunately were not free of charge.

This is Mai, our tour guide from Vietnam Open Tour:

Overall, Halong Bay offered breathtaking views in a tourist-driven atmosphere. Luckily, as a listed world heritage site, I know its beauty will be preserved ;-)

Lastly -this is where I stayed: