Fascinating,Cruise,Trip,Halong travel,insurance Fascinating Cruise Trip in Halong Bay

Torres del Paine is among the biggest of Chile’s national parks, occupying almost 600,000 acres (242,000 ha) of land in the south on the border with Argentina. It is also among the most important, receiving a significant proportion of domes Like any American, traveling occasionally is just what I love doing and I bet you share the same stuff with me. But traveling does not mean that you would be safe. Escaping from our job and other stressful activities is just something that w

Even if we hadn't already spent a week in the bustle and hustle ofHanoi, the mist-shrouded limestone peaks of Ha Long Bay, echoingbirdcalls and water lapping our ship would have been enchanting. But by the time we arrived at this UNESCO World Heritage site innorthern Vietnam's Gulf of Tonkin, we badly needed a break from the madmotor-scooter traffic of the nation's second-largest city, the swarmingpineapple vendors and the ceaseless capitalist hustle. Three days ofswimming, kayaking and just chilling on the deck of the Dragon's Pearl,with drink in hand, were the ideal respite and one of the high pointsof our two-week trip to Vietnam in October. We chose the cruise of Ha Long Bay because of itsproximity to Hanoi and its World Heritage designation. Still, the105-mile van trip takes almost half a day -- Vietnam's highway systemis still a work in progress and buses and trucks share the road withdarting motor scooters, bicycles and plodding water buffalo. Ha Long City's harbor, a gateway shipping port supplying thisfast-developing region, is on the dreary side. In fact, I was havingsecond thoughts about this trip as we dragged our suitcases along arutted path past rusting, crumbling buildings to the ship, a deluxejunk. But once we were headed into the bay, the breeze and the viewfrom the motorized Dragon Pearl's top deck, along with our "welcome"glasses of iced tea, lifted my spirits. So did our cabin. Our room --like the 17 others on the junk -- was small but contained plenty ofamenities, including a king-sized bed, a minute bathroom complete withterry bathrobes and rubber flip-flops, and air conditioning, necessaryto cut through the withering heat and humidity. The first afternoon, our ship and several others dropped anchor at adeserted beach on the tiny island of Soi Sim, where we swam and loungedaway the rest of the day. The water was calm and warm, but apart fromthe setting, this was the least memorable outing of our cruise.Escalating tourism in the region, perhaps because of its World Heritagedesignation, has generated litter and pollution. So, here, miles fromanywhere, plastic drink bottles and candy wrappers floated in the waterand washed up on the sand.A couple of hours later, we were back onboard. With a school of silvery jumping fish as our escort, our shipheaded northeast toward the Hang Luon grotto, where the Dragon Pearldropped anchor for the night in the company of several other junks. Before dinner, we hung out on the chaise lounges arrayed on the ship'sdeck, watching as the peaks surrounding us turned a dusky blue andlights on the neighboring junks twinkled on. The scene reminded me of across between Hawaii's Na Pali Cliffs and Washington's Puget Sound.Ourtwo evenings out on the top deck, trading stories and watching nightfall, were among the few times I relished being outdoors in Vietnam'sblistering heat. But the highlight of the trip was a kayaking tour on the second day. Ihad been dubious about this -- I had never squeezed into a kayakbefore, and we were far out in the bay, close to the open waters of thegulf. I feared capsizing, not being able to keep up with the group andgetting drenched if the threatening skies opened up.It was nothing likethat. The five kayaks were led in and around cliffs and throughgrottoes, pointing out birds, plants and the cliffs where monkeys nest(although we didn't see any). The skies held, and when we beached theboats at noon on an uninhabited island, the sun came out in time for aswim. As for lunch, think "Fantasy Island," that kitschy late-'70s TV series.Our table already was set on the sand when we pulled up -- with whitetablecloths and napkins -- and although the white-suited Mr. Roarke wasnowhere in sight, the ship's kitchen crew was busy barbecuing fish andpeeling dragon fruit, a dramatic red cactus fruit with mildly sweetwhite flesh, for another magnificent meal. In fact, all our meals were extraordinary. Lunch and dinner aboard theship were multiple-course, white-tablecloth affairs that usuallyincluded soup, locally caught prawns and fish, chicken, stir-friedvegetables and terrific tofu dishes. Breakfast was a buffet of freshfruit and baked goods served outdoors on the ship's middle deck. Thatafternoon, we paddled some more, at one point passing a lone fishermancasting his net. His wooden rowboat rocked gently. A teapot perched onthe stern. The next morning, our ship steamed to Sung Sot Cave, one of the area'slargest and most impressive limestone caverns, spanning 12,000 squareyards inside. The entrance required a short hike up several flights ofstone steps to a spot high above the bay. More steps led into recedingchambers, past humongous stalactites and stalagmites that resembledgiant sandcastles. Here, you can see water at work, dripping from theceiling and pooling on the floor in ponds so still and mirror-like thatit left me disoriented. That afternoon, we headed to Ha Long Harbor for the return trip toHanoi. Back in our French Quarter hotel, as the horns of a thousandmotor scooters honked outside our window, I realized the cruise hadgiven me a different impression of Vietnam. If Hanoi is like 4 millionpeople on Red Bull, Ha Long Bay is where time stops, where the old waysof doing things endure and where it's quiet enough to breathe deeplyand hear fish leap from the water.Recommended for cruise on Halong Bay:Indochina Sails: Website: http://www.indochinasails.comEmail: [email protected] Article Tags: World Heritage