Bury My Heart in Ha Long Bay

"I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains."
-Anne Frank

With the globetrotting nature of this semester's study abroad program, it's often difficult to reconcile our identity as both students and tourists. Yes, we're studying in the country, and yes, most of our day is spend in class or going to lectures. But at the same time, we've never really been in one place long enough to feel like we're really living there; it's always felt more like constant travel. It feels like I'm wearing two different hats, especially in a country like Vietnam where I'm very unfamiliar with the location or the language. 

This particular day, however, we got to fully enjoy our tourist role, because SIT decided to send us on a day-long tour of Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful places in Vietnam (and probably the world). It's a bay in northern Vietnam dotted with literally thousands of breathtaking limestone pinnacles towering out of the water. It's the style of mountain that was the inspiration for the weird floating mountains in Avatar, as a matter of fact. 
In all honesty, I probably could have spent an entire week or more exploring all the nooks and crannies of Ha Long Bay, but we were only there for about five hours, so I feel like what we saw was only a small fraction of the wonders hidden inside. Perhaps I should add "canoe around Ha Long Bay" to my bucket list. No, I should definitely add that to my bucket list. 
As for the rest of my impressions? Well, I'll just post the pictures. 
Our boat looked almost exactly like this one. I'm not sure if the sails actually serve a purpose...







Not a great picture, but these kites were all over the bay... Very majestic, and made me wish I had a longer lens with me.





These are called the "Fighting Cock Rocks" because they supposedly look like two roosters. I'm not seeing it myself though...

A beautiful little fishing village on the bay




Traveling the Bay in a boat is fun. Kayaking around it is even better.

Beautiful hidden lagoon only accessible by cave...










I'll have another update or two in a couple of days about Vietnam... And then it's time to take this blog to Morocco!

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