We enjoyed another great breakfast before meeting our guide for the drive to Halong Bay. As we exit the hotel there are several armed guards escorting conference delegates (not sure what conference) to their cars.

The drive to Halong Bay is interesting. The city section is busy with way too many motorbikes weaving in and out everywhere. A bus squeezed our car out at an intersection, resulting in a broken rear-view mirror for us, and a long scratch for the bus. Both vehicles pull over and discuss their options. The bus is going to Halong Bay also, so they’ll solve it when we arrive. The drive is slow. It’s a 2-lane highway with lots of trucks and buses, as well as cars and motorbikes. We arrived at noon after 4 hours on the road. The arrival pier is comfortable and we load the transport boat for the 15-minute ride out into to our cruiser.

The boat is nice. There are 10 guests, including us. Our cabin is nice, with big windows and a private balcony. After we unpack our bags, we enjoy lunch while the boat begins the trip through the bay. The beauty of all the limestone islands is striking. We’re told nearly 2000 islands are scattered through the area.

Our first stop is a small cave where we disembark and take a short tour. Next stop is a fishing village. Most of the local fishermen on the bay live on baots or floating “cabins” in this cove. A local woman paddles us around the area, giving us a close look at the lifestyle. After our tours, we load back on the cruiser and travel to the spot on the bay where we’ll be “parked” for the evening. Our boat guide explains there are 600 licensed “cruise” boats on the bay. 200 of them are night cruisers like ours.

Dinner is very good. The evening is calm and the bay is beautiful. I can’t imagine a more relaxing setting.