Sailing Through the Mist and Into the Mistic

Worn down by bad health, long bus rides, inconvenient train schedules, and fourteen weeks worth of walking between connections, Britt and I caved for the first time since Laos. Our departure date hung heavy, and buckling under its weight, we surrendered "traveler" status, signed up for a packaged tour to Halong Bay and concluded our journey as lowly "tourists". Try not to think less of us... The Hoi An-Hue-Hanoi hustle kicked our asses, and so with 36 hours of international travel imminent, we were clawing out for a few last minuets of comfort.

We payed our passage, hopped on the tour, and jumped on a junk that was anything but. In so doing, we painlessly sidestepped the tedious process of bartering down the price of a private boat. Our tour was a stereotypical one. One with generic food and fixed menus; with rigid time schedules, and guides that stumbled over the English language. (The tourist marches they led were hilarious.) But while our tour did not present an irreplicable Halong Bay experience, it did provide a thorough one. (And no, irreplicable is not in the dictionary and yes I am assuming you can infer its meaning. It would probably be in the dictionary if it wasn't so damn hard to say.)

Thousands and thousands of islands billow out of the sea and pepper the bay. Its a maddening limestone labyrinth... At least it is for the navigator. Through the eyes of a passenger on a guided tour, the labyrinth is simplified down and seen as lots and lots of pretty rocks; rocks that speckle the horizon forming jaw dropping views in every direction.

We left port in a heavy fog- sailed through the mist and into the mystic. That's a literal description, and even then if that sounds cheesy, bring it up with Van Morrison. Halong Bay is a dream world. The weather though soon to change, made for a fitting introduction. It created a misty aura that only helped to reinforce the mysteriousness of the place.

For two days we explored the Labyrinth. For two days we got lost in grottoes and tried to loose ourselves; tried to loose sight of the fact that our trip was at its end. Unfortunately our inevitable departure was not easily put out of mind. But the time we spent in the mist was at least a chance to reflect. The details of that reflection I keep for myself, but the conclusion I will share in the form of advice: "TRAVEL... JUST GO! Everybody has got an excuse, but at least you are not in a sling."

I am state side now. Jet lagged and completely traveled out, but I'll be damned if I wouldn't do it again tomorrow. For now I'll leave it at that, but the story doesn't end in Halong Bay, so I will fill in the rest on a better nights sleep.