Ha Long Bay in northeastern Vietnam is known for, as Google tells it, "emerald waters and thousands of towering limestone islands topped with rainforests." It's one of those otherworldly places that many people recognize even if they've never been there.
We arrived by boat to Lan Ha Bay, weary from a solid week on the go and a bit frayed by the bustle of the larger cities. It was an otherwise dreary day, full of mist and rain, but the weather could not obscure the vivid colors of the landscape, nor the magical sensation we felt as we drifted up and around limestone peaks. We were totally awestruck, and so content to finally be there. Translating all of this to the camera was difficult though - my lens and I were both struggling with the precipitation.
After taking a junket into a central part of the bay, we jumped into kayaks and paddled around the floating villages that are sheltered from the Pacific Ocean by neighboring peaks. Maneuvering was not too difficult, but we had to make sure to keep our distance from the floating walkways; each community has its own guard dogs, and they have been known to leap from their floating homes to ward off bandits... or unsuspecting tourists! After a few hours of paddling and a quick dip, Nick and I took the remainder of the day to go rock climbing. Little did we know we'd have a shell-strewn beach and the limestone faces all to ourselves - such an amazing experience! At the end of our climb, an island taxi driver (pictured top) gave us a lift home. Without a doubt, one of the highlights of our trip to Vietnam, and something I would do again in a heartbeat.