Sandy Supposes....

Halong Bay Beckons

Day 11, Halong Bay, Vietnam:

         

         OMG! Now we're experiencing a cruise. Are we participating in our own unique travel film, Planes, Trains, Tuk Tuks, Buses, and Ships? Even if this two-day cruise should somehow leave us stranded like Gilligan's Island, we will be blissful. Wow, Halong Bay is stunning! The water is a shimmering shade of turquoise. The azure endless sky frames many limestone islands swathed in vibrant green.

         Our ship is spectacular, a floating hotel. My room is airy, lovely and multi-windowed, perfect for an eye feast. It is said that keeping one's gaze fixed on the horizon combats seasickness, but this beauty is mesmerizing. How could I feel queasy?

         Day 11 of our virtual adventure and I am still evading fatigue and weight gain. Bobbing in the sun-sparkled water, I feel weightless, alive, free. I concentrate on my breathing as I paddle. Under the kayak, sea creatures dart and dash, mysterious shadows. Craning my neck to follow their course, I tip myself into the surf. Spluttering, I remember to roll and right myself. What's a bit of dampness? I shiver thinking this could have happened in Antarctica. Today, clad in a swimsuit I am able to drip dry.

         Titop Island beckons with its crescent shaped white beach and green-topped hill. I disembark on that warm sand which means I stumble and lurch. Have I forgotten my land legs already? After a stroll along the beach to stretch my muscles, I take a deep breath, square my shoulders and begin the climb to the summit. I lose count after fifty steps and I later learn it is four -hundred and fifty steps of slogging and perspiring to reach that gazebo. I may have appeared to be transfixed by the panoramic view, but I was wheezing and gasping. I consoled myself with the theory that a descent should be less strenuous. I also reminded myself that calories abhor physical exertion.

         My return to sea level is motivated by the opportunity to explore Me Cung Cave. It is aptly named with its maze of corridors. The multi-coloured stalactites sparkled and noise echoed.

         I wonder if pirates once stood here? Could this island have been a rest stop? Imagine them frolicking in the turquoise water and sun bathing on the beach. Pirate bonfires?

          Back on the cruise ship, crew members whispered that they know this island as Cemetery Island because of the 1905 wreck of a French cargo ship. Huh, it seems so tranquil, idyllic. That beauty hides her secrets well.

         Luckily, I did not have to sing for my supper. I merely had to learn to cteate spring rolls and sample them. This did not prove to be a problem. Food and I are sympatico. The staff made the class fun.This served as the appetizer to a seafood feast. When in Vietnam...

         In the evening, we were given two options of entertainment, karaoke at the bar, or squidding. Lyn's a Witchy Woman 💙 Carly-wrimo 2024 Apondia Prosperous Snow celebrating BlueMoon WakeUpAndLive~doingNaNo'24 and I decided why not combine the two? We belted out tunes as we trolled for squid. In the eery green glow from the water, we sang. I suppose we are now squidders and squawkers.