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:
Atlantic Hotel
Tel: +84 (33) 842842
Web: atlantichotel.com.vn
hey jennifer! what a rip off to charge for huts? how much was it?
your food pictures always turns out really nice :)
Wow those photos are pretty fantastic! That poor little kid selling fruit looks so much like he doesn't want to be there. :(
Those lights in the caves look awesome - that must have been a wonderful experience.
great photos. Have you ever been to a floating market where small passing by boats can cook a meal like pad thai on the spot and hand it over to you. That would be such a novel experience compared with today's drivethrus.
Also those caves are naturally or artificially lit with normal lights?
Seemed you had a good time in Vietnam. I love your images.
Good news and wonderful sightseeing. We will visit soon Halong Bay Vietnam
http://www.halongbay-vietnam.com visit Halong Bay Official website.
Hi Julie, it wasn't expensive... maybe a few AUD's... i can't remember specifically :-)
Hi Katie, yep, the caves were amazing... I've always wanted to go to the Jenolan Caves so I suppose now I don't need to!
Hey Dan, nope, haven't been past a floating kitchen! sounds fabulous though!
The caves were artificial...hehe... with neon lights!
The personal loans are important for guys, which are willing to start their own organization. In fact, this is not very hard to receive a bank loan.