Sunday, November 5
This morning started on the boat in Ha Long bay and ended in Ho Chi Min City. At about 5:30 am I went upstairs to take some pictures of the sunrise. It was very overcast and it took me a bit to un fog my camera lens, but I think I got some good shots. Then at 6:15 am we did Tai Chi for 30 minutes on the top deck of the boat. While we were in the middle of the session, the boat started to reposition for kayaking, but you could barely tell it was moving. After Tai Chi, breakfast was served which I chose to skip as they were serving a bunch at 9:30 am. Kayaking was from 7:30 – 8:30 am. Our cruise director mentioned that we had an hour, but no one usually goes for an hour. Challenge accepted! I was one of the first people out and the last one back on the boat at 8:20 am. They literally picked up anchor after they pulled my kayak in. It was so peaceful out there. The only sad thing was all the garbage. I wish I would’ve had a garbage bag and picker and I would have been happy to clean up the shoreline and water.
Then it was time for brunch. There really is no way I am going to go hungry on this trip! Since we didn’t depart until 11:20 am, we just hung out in the dining area until it was time to leave. We then transferred back to our bus which took us to the Van Don International Airport, with a stop in the city center. The airport had 4 gates and stairs to load two other planes on the tarmac. We then took a 1 hour 45 minute flight to Ho Chi Min City which some people still call Saigon. The city is very different from Hanoi. Much more metropolitan than Honai, with a lot of high rise buildings and many more cars.
Photos
Additional photos coming