Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Enchanted Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Four days, two nights spent boating through majestic Halong Bay is like a dream. Turquoise blue water and giant, dragon-shaped cliff islands covered by jungle forests simply equals magical.

There are a million different tour companies taking foreigners through the bay with varying prices and packages, but they're all the same boats and go to the same destinations – exemplifying the Communism that exists in Vietnam today.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The accommodations on the boat are not cruise-like – more Treasure Island-style. Small rooms, average beds, but priceless views right out your window to watch the sun rise and set from. Traditional Vietnamese dishes are served on board along with bountiful alcohol and Pringles for happy hour cravings.

It takes a few days to get deep enough into the bay where you really feel as though you’re on another planet. A day or two, and all you see are the thousands of cliffs jutting out of the lagoon-colored water and nothing else. You forget which way’s east and west, and living on a houseboat with pet dolphins could easily be your reality.

We stopped on one island and spent the night in a hotel where we had a group dinner with the rest of our boat. Vietnamese like to be in charge, have things done a certain way, and don't understand independence, so we didn't get away with trying to hide away in our room enjoying some solace when dinner was served. It made me feel like I was on a cruise vacation where every minute of an itinerary is planned for you.

After spending so much time in Thailand, “the Land of Smiles,” I found a lot lost in translation with the Vietnamese. The language already sounds aggressive, and their body language and facial expressions tend to be serious and dominating. I felt like I was getting yelled at when someone was asking how dinner was, and the feeling went way beyond the obvious American guilt for Vietnam and our role in their history.

We did a hike into the jungle and took in panoramic views of absolute beauty. There were the usual colorful birds and monkeys as we trekked behind our sandal-clad guide in hiking boots and moisture-wicking shirts in a way that made us feel like typical tourist Americans. There was a supposed tiger on the island, but surprisingly, we didn't see it on our trek.

We cruised alongside the cliffs by day, stopping at colorful floating markets with every fruit imaginable and observing the various communities living on houseboats in this enchanted bay.

We kayaked one morning at sunset and it was the most peaceful, surreal time I've ever had. It definitely aroused the "Am I really here right now? Is this really happening?" out-of-body feelings that only traveling in a distant land can conjure up.

Video:

Vietnam

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Croome Brothers Trio, Jack Tempchin, Ricky, Swami & the Bed Of Nails, Kahlil Nash

Acoustic and electric in Del Mar, La Jolla, Little Italy, and City Heights
Next Article

SDSU pres gets highest pay raise in state over last 15 years

Union-Tribune still stiffing downtown San Diego landlord?

Four days, two nights spent boating through majestic Halong Bay is like a dream. Turquoise blue water and giant, dragon-shaped cliff islands covered by jungle forests simply equals magical.

There are a million different tour companies taking foreigners through the bay with varying prices and packages, but they're all the same boats and go to the same destinations – exemplifying the Communism that exists in Vietnam today.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The accommodations on the boat are not cruise-like – more Treasure Island-style. Small rooms, average beds, but priceless views right out your window to watch the sun rise and set from. Traditional Vietnamese dishes are served on board along with bountiful alcohol and Pringles for happy hour cravings.

It takes a few days to get deep enough into the bay where you really feel as though you’re on another planet. A day or two, and all you see are the thousands of cliffs jutting out of the lagoon-colored water and nothing else. You forget which way’s east and west, and living on a houseboat with pet dolphins could easily be your reality.

We stopped on one island and spent the night in a hotel where we had a group dinner with the rest of our boat. Vietnamese like to be in charge, have things done a certain way, and don't understand independence, so we didn't get away with trying to hide away in our room enjoying some solace when dinner was served. It made me feel like I was on a cruise vacation where every minute of an itinerary is planned for you.

After spending so much time in Thailand, “the Land of Smiles,” I found a lot lost in translation with the Vietnamese. The language already sounds aggressive, and their body language and facial expressions tend to be serious and dominating. I felt like I was getting yelled at when someone was asking how dinner was, and the feeling went way beyond the obvious American guilt for Vietnam and our role in their history.

We did a hike into the jungle and took in panoramic views of absolute beauty. There were the usual colorful birds and monkeys as we trekked behind our sandal-clad guide in hiking boots and moisture-wicking shirts in a way that made us feel like typical tourist Americans. There was a supposed tiger on the island, but surprisingly, we didn't see it on our trek.

We cruised alongside the cliffs by day, stopping at colorful floating markets with every fruit imaginable and observing the various communities living on houseboats in this enchanted bay.

We kayaked one morning at sunset and it was the most peaceful, surreal time I've ever had. It definitely aroused the "Am I really here right now? Is this really happening?" out-of-body feelings that only traveling in a distant land can conjure up.

Video:

Vietnam

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Flowering pear trees in Kensington not that nice

Empty dirt plots in front of Ken Cinema
Next Article

Croome Brothers Trio, Jack Tempchin, Ricky, Swami & the Bed Of Nails, Kahlil Nash

Acoustic and electric in Del Mar, La Jolla, Little Italy, and City Heights
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.