One of the other site seeing trips took us to Ha Long Bay, an area know for its natural beauty of limestone formations. I had been there twice, but wanted to share the magical experience with those whom had not seen it before. Nancy, Troy, Derek, Krista, Rav, and I along with my uncle and 12 cousins woke up to the sound of both the alarm clock and the pouring rain. We all boarded a bus at half past five in the morning for Ha Long Bay. Dawn had not broke, but some of the streets were starting to come alive as street vendors were setting up shop. We drove through some very beautiful scenery and watched the sun rise through the mountains and small villages. (Above Picture - Rock Formation at Ha Long Bay)Upon our arrival at Ha Long Bay, we were greeted by a dozen buses full of tourists from all walks of life. The Ha Long Bay I had such fond memories of a decade ago is now a tourist trap. The port was riddled with boats offering tours from one hour to all day. The port of departure had been expanded 20 fold and the number of boats must have multiplied by 100 times. Everywhere you looked, you no longer saw the pristine rock formations, but just boats coming and going filled with people. The seclusion with nature had been lost. Although we hired a boat for a four hour cruise with stops along the way, there were just too many other boats doing the same thing. I was quite disappointed with just how touristy this region had become. We cut the trip short and headed home. Here are some photos that we took.
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