ha longin and stuff

Our final weekend in Vietnam was spent in Ha Long Bay. Recently voted one of the 7 Wonders of the World, Ha Long Bay has much to offer in the way of grand views, caves and lovely boating. It was a four-hour or so bus ride to get to the dock from which we took a small motor boat to our cruising vessel. It was a good-sized boat with two floors of rooms and a top, observation floor. The second floor had a dining/hanging out room as well as a few sleeping rooms. There was plenty of space for those of us on the small side, but it was still a cozy fit.

We played at a beach and climbed a mountain, kayaked around a small portion of the bay, explored caves and ate a lot of seafood. The kayaking was so great. There were a few people going on the kayaks who had never kayaked before, so I put my Ontario Pioneer Camp skills to use once again and gave a mini-safety briefing on kayaks and what to do if you unfortunately happen to no longer be in your kayak. I didn't foresee too many problems, but safety is always important. Kayaking made me really miss camp!

The story is that a dragon set down in the bay. That's why there are so many humps sticking out of the water.

Maeve is super duper excited.

My time in Vietnam is coming to a close. Tomorrow, Maeve and I will be flying to Saigon where we will spend a night before flying to Japan to spend a few days in Tokyo with her uncle. The McGarry/Harrison clan has been gracious enough to let me join in on these wonderful plans. I am very excited to see something new but very sad to be leaving my friends and my room here. I'll head for dinner at the fried rice place one last time before leaving. So many goodbyes to say!