Today we were waited on at breakfast by our enthusiastic young friend who
practiced newly-learned idioms such as "on the house" with infectious, pure,
joy, after which we met our petite dynamo tour guide Binh (we spent two days calling her by the wrong name) for the four hour bus trip to Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site in northern Vietnam. Binh gave
us an amazing crash course in Vietnamese history and culture, including sharing
her own family history in which her father was away for her first eight years of
life while he served in the military, then after his return, the government sent
her mother to Russia to perform services to help pay off the government's debts.
Her rich stories and cultural/historical information, emphasizing the importance
of family, made the four hours fly by, as did watching the patchwork scenes of
rural life outside the windows, with farmers working tirelessly in their rice
paddies. We boarded our tender boat, then our beautiful floating hotel, "The
Treasure Junk," where we were greeted with fanfare and drinks amid the beauty of
the bay. Our staterooms were small, but lovely and well-appointed, with two
large windows for viewing. As we feasted on a six course lunch, we cruised to a
remote area well beyond all the other tourist junks, where all was quiet and
misty magical scenic vistas, before hopping into kayaks and paddling out among
the ancient rock formations jutting out of the water like looming giants
hovering over us. Our guides, including Ming, ensured our safety and urged us to
experience the peace and reverence of it all. Cocktail hour included a futile
attempt to teach us how to carve tomato swans, after which we were served
another six course meal! Affection is growing and relationships are already
cementing in our group! The day was topped off by our resident Vanna White
beauty innocently asking a question which caused us all to regress to our
teenage selves, laughing and snorting until our full bellies ached!
Fran