Ha Long Bay

Our trip to Ha Long Bay – the World Unesco site – involved a 4-hour drive each way from Hanoi, and an overnight on a boat along with about 40 other people. The boating operation is run like clockwork, with the crew turning over the bedrooms every 24 hours. And there are boats everywhere. Despite being a tourist destination, it really is a beautiful place with amazing mountains rising straight out of the sea, so we took our share of photos—my favorite being a panorama in which Scott magically appears at both left and right. The cruise director also kept us busy with a hike to a terrific view and a kayak trip through a cave on the first day, and a Tai Chi class the next morning as well as a hike to a huge cave. They also fed and watered us well! In the evening, enjoyed happy hour on the roof deck, which included a cooking lesson in how to make Vietnamese Spring rolls. We all got to roll our own, and the assistant cruise director, who has a future as a comedienne, raced people in rolling their eggrolls, always winning and crediting her mother for teaching her well. With a few drinks under our belts, we also got a little crazy when they turned up the music—dancing wildly to the Macarena and Gangnam Style. Some of us felt that we could have skipped the whole Halong Bay outing in favor of more biking—mostly because of the lengthy drives in the van. I feel mixed about it, because it really is a beautiful sight, and the dancing and Tai Chi on the roof deck were great!