Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

On Tuesday morning we drove three hours to get to Ha Long Bay. It was the first time that I saw food stalls for dog meat. Poor dog. We cruised along the calm waters to see the huge limestone rock formations. From a distance, the fog makes the rocks look like an Ansel Adams photograph. The closer rocks are dark gray and the ones further away fade into a light gray, almost as light as the fog.

The boat stopped for people to kayak in the middle of the bay but I decided to stay on top of the deck by myself to watch the sun set behind the towering rocks. The sun painted the sky a soft pinkish yellow hue and made the water sparkle like a million tiny stars. It was one of those rare moments where everything was just right. I was at peace.

The rest of the night and the following day we hung out with other people on board. We met two hilarious English men from Manchester and Liverpool (they go to Thailand every year for 5 to 6 months), a conservationist from South Africa, a San Diego guy, and a couple from England who have been traveling since April (they're traveling for one year). Everyone has amazing stories (but I don't feel like writing about them right now) and they all seem to have a few things in common--they're free spirited, open minded and carefree.

I ended up sharing a room with the girl from South Africa because there was a mix-up in rooms. We were nervous to turn off the lights because every now and then, cockroaches crawled on the walls and on our beds. I had been sick since Tuesday so my nose was congested and when that happens, I usually breathe through my mouth. I really hoped that a cockroach didn't crawl in my mouth. In the morning, we asked if anyone else had cockroaches but we were the only lucky ones.

Our boat stopped by the floating houses so some people could go on a small boat to check out the caves. The houses are painted bright blue and green colors and everyone seems to have a dog. Some houses have motorboats, others just have row boats. I stayed on board to buy fruits from the lady on the row boat. These women row long distances to sell fruits to the hundreds of cruise boats. I'm still amazed at how simple peoples' lives are.

After coming back from Ha Long, we had some time to kill before boarding the train to Sapa, so we got massages. I got a head massage (I really just wanted someone to play with my hair or tickle my back but that's sort of a weird request) but the girl, who looked like she was 15 years old, did such a horrible job. She was stretching my forehead and karate chopping all over my head. I had to show her how I wanted it done and even then, she sucked.