We stopped once along the way at a place that sold everything under the sun—silk artwork, statues, food, clothes, etc. Then we got back on the bus and our next stop was Halong Bay! Once on the boat, we immediately had lunch, which consisted of shrimp, fried spring rolls, some very large, strange looking shrimp, squid, rice, and watermelon. The boat took us through the rock formations that Halong Bay is famous for and they were truly breathtaking. At one place we got to go in kayaks and kayak through an opening, into a lagoon, and back out. The only other stop we made was for a cave that we got to tour. The inside had some exquisite rock formations and all kinds of stalagmites and stalactites. The only disappointing thing about the cave was that it was a huge tourist draw, so there were colorful lights highlighting different formations inside. The cave was found in 1998, though, when a hunter followed a monkey to it, so it is relatively new. As we toured the cave, our guide pointed out all kinds of formations that the Vietnamese believe look like dragons, lions, or other things that have to do with their history. Then it was back on the boat and to the harbor for a four hour bus ride back to Hanoi.
We got back to the hotel and Cate, Kaley, Tori, and I went to get some bia hoi (fresh beer). I found a corn stand along the way, was overcharged at 30,000d, and kind of disappointed in the way it tasted. We did end up getting our bia hoi, however, and while we were sitting there I also bought some fried bananas from a woman that walked past. While she told me they were fried bananas, it was really just fried dough with sugar on it. Then it was back to the hotel to get ready for the big day tomorrow.
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