Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Ha long bay is located in the Gulf of Tonkin, 170 kilometres east of Hanoi, in northern Vietnam near the border with China. It consists of a dense cluster of 1,969 limestone monolithic islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation, which rise spectacularly from the ocean. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves. We walked through one of them, which is known for it's "penis" rock. (see the picture below...it's the one that's lit up red)

Local legend says that long ago when the Vietnamese were fighting Chinese invaders, the gods sent a family of dragons to help defend the land. This family of dragons descended upon what is now Ha Long Bay ("Bay of Descending Dragons") and began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets dotting the bay, linking together to form barriers against the invaders. The people kept their land safe and formed what later became the country of Vietnam. A modern legend claims that a creature named the tarasque still lives in the bay

We went on a 2 day boat tour of the Bay. For 65$ we got transportation to and from the port, two delicious lunches, one dinner and one breakfast and one night on the boat! It was so nice to be able to relax amongst one of the most beautiful places I have seen. Nothing that I can say can describe just how beautiful it is. My pictures don't really do it justice either.

Jennifer and Amber relaxing on the front deck.






Snack boat




These are floating houses that fishermen and their families live in.
We hiked up this island and went swimming on the beach. I was amazing.