[travel] Beach blogging in Halong Bay, Vietnam

[mattbell]

Hey there everybody,

I'm currently hanging out on a beach in a small private island in Halong Bay, Vietnam. Halong Bay is the sort of place where a Bond villain would put his hideout... it consists of thousands of jungle-covered limestone islands jutting out of the sea. You could build your fortress in a cave in one of these islands, and if you only entered and departed at night, no one would know you existed. I don't normally go for boat cruises or lazy days on beaches, but the tour I booked offered lots of opportunities for exploration of the islands, so I'm not getting bored at all. Today they offered a hike that 70% of the tourists chickened out on... it involved a 1000-foot ascent up craggy rocks to the tallest peak in the area, giving us stunning views of the archipelago. Amusingly, the fastest hikers were a German couple in their 60s. Yesterday was sea kayaking through ocean caves.

The other guests might find it amusing that my idea of a relaxing time on a beach involves blogging, but hey, that's how my brain works.

Also, I think if I were not here alone, I'd probably be doing something else right now.

Comments

[aquestrian.livejournal.com]

That sounds fantastic. Don't you have a friend with you though?

[nasu-dengaku.livejournal.com]

I met up with a bay area friend at the beginning of Vietnam, but we parted ways midcountry for various reasons. I then met a guy on the bus, and spent the next week traveling with him. However, I've been alone the last four days. Unfortunately I have some hard time constraints that makes it hard for me to travel with others unless they want to be on my schedule. I like traveling alone as well as with others.

[aquestrian.livejournal.com]

Traveling alone can be really eye-opening. And I'm glad you're sticking to your schedule. It makes it pretty easy to optimize your time. I did that when I went around Europe, though I did make some room for a close friend, and I'm still glad that I did.

[crotchgoblin.livejournal.com]

Oooooh man, tough life!