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Showing posts from April, 2017

Halong Bay, Vietnam: Cruising among giants

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It was while researching Vietnam that I first heard of Halong Bay. I instantly fell in love with the pictures I saw of the towering karst formations surrounded by sun-kissed turquoise waters. The Halong Bay I saw was quite different. We had booked a tour through one of the local agencies (slightly overpriced as we later found out; do bargain) which included pick-up from Hanoi, all meals, visiting some attractions in the bay and staying overnight on the boat. The weather in the few days before our trip had been terrible - thunderstorms and rain. It was still cloudy when we left. While making our way from Hanoi to Halong, it was positively gloomy. It stopped raining by the time we reached, but the sun still wasn’t in sight. Naturally, I complained about the weather just like the others who were to join us on the boat. It was after getting onto the boat that I realized I would be seeing a side of Halong which the pictures hadn’t prepared me for. Hạ Long means “de