The Traveling Matie

We embarked on our journey to Halong Bay with Ocean Tours. After a bus ride and boat ride, our group of eleven boarded the junk boat which would be our home for the next 24 hours. The group consisted of a few Americans and many Dutch travelers. The junk boat was splendid: lounge chairs on the top deck, private rooms with ensuite bathrooms, and a community dining room.  As we sailed further into the bay, we were stunned by the enormous rocks protruding from the water. Included meals were delicious and doled out in very generous portions.  Following lunch the first day, we kayaked through the light and dark caves. Upon returning to the boat, we continued on to a quiet section of the bay where the boat anchored for the night.  We partook in a spring roll prep class followed by a refreshing swim in the bay prior to dinner. The following morning, we continued on to Cat Ba Island's National Park where we trekked up to a lookout and viewed mountains in many directions.

Hanoi is a chaotic place whose charms slowly grew on us. Upon arriving, we quickly learned that sidewalks are used as parking lots for scooters and the best way to travel by foot is to join the throngs of scooters, cars, and other pedestrians in the street which is instantly overwhelming. We later learned, that if you make eye contact with the oncoming scooters, they will avoid you, but as soon as you look away, you are fair game. This news lead us to "stare down" every oncoming driver at each intersection.  The pho is delicious here, and the coffee is the best we've ever had. We explored some local temples, checked out a night market, walked around the central lake, and spent the afternoon at the spa. Upon flying out of Hanoi, we decided to stay in one of the airport "sleeping pods" to make things easy for our flight the next morning. What an experience! The capsule/ pod had a bunk bed which was fun as neither of us could recall the last time we slept in a bu