Ha Long Bay

As we approached The Jasmine in our motor boat, Tara and I exchanged looks of excitement, our smiles widening as we moored alongside the elegant wooden form of the Chinese junk ship. We were greeted by the ship's captain and escorted up two flights of stairs to the main cabin. I was immediately struck by the craftsmanship of the vessel in which all surfaces were finished in dark tropical wood or bamboo with hand carved railings and trim work. We met some of the the other passengers, mostly Australians and Europeans on holiday and then went to check out or private cabin. It was a lovely little room with bamboo paneled walls, a beautifully tiled bathroom and best of all, a private deck looking out over the sea.



We set sail and made our way up to the top deck of the ship. It was a calm and misty morning and the deep blue waters were like a sheet of glass. As we ventured further out into the bay, the looming forms of Ha long's famous limestone islands began to emerge from the curtain of fog. The bay is home to thousands of these islands whose limestone cliffs tower over the waters below. Our ship charted a winding course through the rocky formations, as we dined on a multi-course meal of fresh seafood that included crab soup, chilli and lemongrass prawns and clay pot sea bass.



We anchored in a quiet lagoon and went ashore to explore a massive cave of "cauliflour" limestone formations, stalactites and stalagmites. The path through the caves lead us to a viewpoint at the island's peak where we could see for miles in each direction. Thousands of islands rose from the sea and dissapeared into the misty sky above.



That afternoon, we sat on our deck and watched as the evening light turned the waters and the mountains to darker shades of blue and green. Over dinner we were treated to a surprise gift of champagne, roses and a traditional Vietnamese love song in honor of our honeymoon. Returning to our cabin, we were lulled to sleep by the waters below us and in the morning we awoke to the first light of the sun as it filtered through the misty air, ushering in another beautiful day of new adventures.