More from Halong Bay

I treasure the memory of my all too brief “cruise” on Halong Bay.

The little Junk had ten double cabins. There were nine couples, I was the only single.

Half of us spoke English, and the other half spoke French, so we had commentary in two languages.

We had assigned seating for the meals (which were great).

I was placed with (a)  a young German couple from the Rhineland - each spoke perfect English.  She is an intern in the German consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, and he works in Germany and (b) a young American couple from Michigan. He teaches in Shanghai and she works in Michigan. (She grew up in Dalton, MA – right next to Pittsfield where I worked, so we had much in common).

They were congenial table companions.  We chatted and laughed a lot.

I also spent a lot of time with a French speaking woman from Belgium.  Her English and my French were sufficient enough for conversation, but our real bond was that we were the only two smokers!

I stood on the upper deck late at night.  It was cloudy, but I could see the moon flitting between the clouds.  There were no sounds apart from the lapping of water.  There were no sights apart from the lights from three or four other Junks.

It was a magical moment.  I was half a world away from my home and from all that was familiar. But I felt so peaceful, so happy, so relaxed.

Here are a few more Halong Bay photo’s.

Halong Bay Fishing Village

Grotto

Looking down at the Bay from 120 feet.

Our Junk from the Tender boat