They visited floating villages and fish farms at the same time I found myself silent panicking, trying to find a random photo studio that the internet had produced. I already mentioned that Seoul has everything, but what I didn't mention was that while is true, you really gotta work for some things. I found the studio eventually in an alley, up six flights of broken, dark, stairs. There was no sign on the gray painted metal door which was cracked open just wide enough that I could see a man's silhouette against four panoramic computer screens. Initial creep factor was at 88% but I got what I needed and the photographer could not have been nicer.
Anyway, back to Vietnam. Ha Long Bay is famous for super tall limestone and karst formations that were in existence before water came and flooded the region, something like 500 million years ago. The deep turquoise water is warm and extra salty from the all the rock towers. There are 1,969 islands rich with hidden biodiversity of land, air, and sea animals. The UNESCO site no matter how you look at it is just... dreamy.
At first I thought I would miss out on it altogether since I'd be catching up with them on the tail end. But Mark rearranged plans even though he and the kids had had their fill. They were sore from kayaking, damp and chilled from the rain, and tired of the tour guide's history lessons. After a day of flying, driving, ferrying, and driving some more, I made my way from Seoul to Hanoi to Cat Ba Island and reunited with my family. Mark, Deets, and Margo enthusiastically participated in the same activities for my benefit, which made the experience so... extra. I got to share a beer with Mark on a sandbar, watching the kids collect seashells. Kayaking alongside the massive cliffs with Margo was even better than I could have imagined. I recognized the spot where Kong: Skull Island was filmed, acknowledging Deets' affinity for that movie and wondered how they managed to get such a big gorilla there in the first place.
 |
| 😍😍😍 |
 |
| Pretending to think this was as exciting I thought it was. |
 |
| So. Dang. Excited. |
 |
| Fish farm. No safety rails. I was terrified I'd fall in and get eaten by carp. Apparently, one of the farm's guard dogs had recently fallen in. He didn't make it. |
 |
| credit: Mark Ha Long Bay hike and scheming how to take over the world. |
 |
| credit: Mark Margo and I kayaking. |
 |
| credit: Mark |
 |
| credit: Mark |
 |
| Hacky sack on Cat Ba Island |
 |
| First view of the bay from our hotel |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.