We are back in Hanoi after a two-day, one-night trip to Halong Bay. This seems to be the most popular trip for tourists visiting Hanoi, and with good reason. Halong Bay is full of thousands of small islands, each with impressive limestone cliffs.
We hear that it is quite difficult to get to Halong Bay by yourself, so we booked a tour that included a 4 hour minivan ride to and from the bay, a two day boat ride, food, visits to two caves, kayaking, and a small cabin on the boat to spend the night.
The kayaking was the highlight of the trip for us. We paddled across the open water over to some islands, and explored them by boat. There were a couple of places where we paddled through nature-made tunnels through the limestone rock. The two hour trip was just enough to get a taste of the beauty of the islands, yet not too tiring.
For our remaining days here, Rupert and I will visit a small town called Sapa, which is located 9 hours by train northeast of Hanoi near the Chinese border. There we will visit some hilltribe villages and soak in the atmosphere of the "Tonkinese Alps".
