Halong Bay

Today I got sunburnt all over my shoulders. I knew all that cycling wouldn't do me any good.


I've definitely been far too comfortable back at Cambridge and Malaysia. Having decided to make my own way to Halong Bay, I look back on the whole morning and I can spot so many opportunities where I could've been conned. (Thankfully, I wasn't but that's not the point). Will have to be more careful in the future.


That said, caught a boat with other Vietnamese tourists. Don't think it gets any more authentic than this (unless you rent a paddle boat yourself).


Thank god for picking up Mandarin whilst on my travels around China and for the lessons I took this past year: Met a Vietnamese staff on board who worked in China before and could therefore speak Chinese. Also met another Vietnamese staff who could speak Malay after having worked in Malaysia for a year. Apparently, the pay was shit (even working in Vietnam pays better) and I'm thinking, 'Jeez, how do we treat these immigrant workers?'


I'm still undecided as to Halong Bay. It's beautiful, very beautiful in fact. It's as if time froze the very moment these hills erupted from the green sea, taking bits of it with it. It's like Yangshuo, but not quite. There's the sea, for one. And until you own your own yacht or are rich enough to hire a private boat, you're at the mercy of service providers and the scams that go hand-in-hand with them. For that, I think I prefer Yangshou and the freedom you get just by renting a bicycle.


Amazement Cave is alright as caves go. Ok, so I don't know how to appreciate caves, alright? I mean, you see the same thing with candles, no? Just give and take a few million years or so. The same thing applies to evolution. And frankly speaking, I find biology more interesting?


Ti Top Island on the other hand is amazing. When I asked Ting for a mountain to climb in Halong Bay, I was thinking of one which takes the average person two days to climb. This hill took only five minutes. That said, the view from the top is breathtaking.