Headed back to the Old Quarter bright and early to catch a bus to Ha Long Bay. The only thing that makes being crammed into a small bus with minimal air conditioning for four hours more bearable is being squished between your two bestfriends, instead of being the one next to the backpacker who hasn’t found a shower in three weeks.
Upon arrival at the coast we were lead to our boat, Yên Ngoc, where a feast aboard awaited for us. A table was filled with tofus, boiled and salted peanuts, cabbage, fried fish, and rice. I’ve never had peanuts in my rice before but it was a delicious combination. Vietnamese food has found a way into my heart and my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
We sailed around the giant rock formations, taking in the breathtaking views. It was a such beautiful day on the water; one in which I’ll always remember. We docked near a floating city which was a unique sight-a community living and surviving in harmony off this water. Near enough to hear their voices but far enough to not disturb, we transferred into a small bamboo boat which we took us around into the areas unreachable in the larger boat.
En route back to shore we made one last stop at the Hang Dâu Gô Cave, where we weaved through the stalagmites in the illuminated darkness. It was a pretty cool way to end this day trip. The bus ride back seemed faster and the odorous man was not present!
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