Rock the Cat Ba

Leaving Hanoi early, we travelled by coach until lunch time until we arrived in Halong City. The weather was very cold and a freezing (almost literally) mist descended on the bay. In junk boats we sailed though the islands seeing only ghostly outlines on the horizon until the fog lifted and we were treated to Halong Bay UNESCO World Heritage Site in almost all of its glory.

We were taken to see a cave in one of the mountains and unsure of what to expect, we were treated to the most largest and most stunning limestone caves we had ever seen. Stalagmites and stalactites had formed like crystals to present majestic displays of shimmering rock formations. Stunned at such a wonderful grotto but chilled to the bone, we taken to Cat Ba national park, the biggest island in Halong Bay. If you'll forgive the expression, the infrastructure of the island was like a bad day in Beirut - very much roads in progress. After a nice meal with the rest of the group, we had an early night snuggled under a duvet wearing five layers of clothing.

The next day on our return leg through the islands, we were lucky enough to have sunshine. It was a little like sailing through a smaller Milford Sound or past the stunning sandy alcoves of Abel Tasman or through the Bay of Islands in New Zealand. Dolphins were even spotted grabbing a free ride on the wake of a boat. The suns rays sparkled and danced as they caught the waves like thousands of fairy lights. Against the back drop of the craggy islands that constitutes the World heritage site, we witnessed one of the most beautiful sights we have seen in the World.