Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Arrived in Hanoi by sleeper bus feeling disheveled, greasy, and tired. The weather was gray and a tiny bit rainy. Wasn’t sure where to go or what to do. A motorbike taxi driver offered to take me to the Old Quarter, so I went with him. He took me to a travel agency there. Spoke with the agent inside and decided to go to Ha Long Bay first to ensure I had enough time to see it. Booked transportation to Cat Ba island in Ha Long Bay at the travel agency and then went in search of breakfast. Someone showed up on a motorbike to take me to the bus, and I went with him, and then boarded the bus to Ha Long City. At the pier, I boarded a tour boat and was stuck with them all day. The weather was still gray and a little rainy. Saw some of the stone karst islands in Ha Long Bay. Went with the boat tourists to see a large cave in one of the karsts. The boat landed on Cat Ba island just after sunset in the dark. I boarded another bus and dozed a little until we arrived in Cat Ba City on the south shore. I went to the nearest hotel, followed by a couple I had met on the boat, and we checked in. We walked the strip along the hotels and waterfront and then chose a restaurant for dinner. After dinner, I shopped around for a day cruise of the islands. The next day, I boarded a tour boat bound for the Ha Long Bay islands and spent the day cruising around, snapping photos of karsts, kayaking around karsts, and gazing at karsts. It was a day of karsts all around. Did I mention there were karsts? The sky was gray, but it didn’t rain. At the end, the boat returned us to Cat Ba Island, and I went to the same restaurant as before for a delicious dinner and a quiet evening alone. The next day it was still cloudy and gray, so I decided that I’d had enough of Ha Long Bay, having seen karsts to my heart’s content the day before, so I booked transportation back to Hanoi by bus for the same day and departed around noon.