part 4: ha long bay

the grand finale.

in a trip of many highlights, ha long bay, a cluster of intricate limestone islands off the coast of northern vietnam, was probably our favorite.

we booked a private junk boat tour for two days and one night through indochina junk. techically, we spent most of our time in bai tu long bay, which is a bit more off the beaten track than ha long bay proper.

an amazing view of the bay (but not our boat).

our boat.

our way cool and rather philosophical tour guide, an. 

stopping at a man made beach. getting ready to kayak!

emily relaxing.

bryan relaxing.

emily and bryan relaxing.

the chef onboard the boat (a really, really good chef) carved three giant food sculptures for us for dinner. this was just one; it's made from radishes. side note: we have never been fed so much food in our lives as we were fed on the boat. it took bryan two days to even feel hunger again (which, if you know bryan, is a tres big deal).

rowing out to visit the floating fishing village.

there are over 1,600 formations in ha long bay. 

this one is thought to resemble a man with a mustache.  

a part of the fishing village.

pearl farm in the background.

heading home.

tạm biệt, vietnam!