Douglas Easton Travel Blog
November 06, 2008

Halong Bay, Vietnam

Aboard The Golden Dragon II

Gliding silently between the soaring limestone karst formations of magnificent Halong Bay, the Chinese junk Golden Dragon II is our baronial home for two days... and anything but junky! This beautifully designed and decorated ship retains all of the original charm of a traditional junk, with the comfort of modern amenities. Ours is finished in lacquer, which gleams liquidly in the moonlight.
 
We set sail yesterday afternoon from Halong Bay's port city of the same name. Since then, we've enjoyed exceptional dining... our chef is fantastic! He somehow manages to assemble mouthwatering, five-course meals in the junk's small galley, lavishing attention on the presentation of each dish. His piece de resistance was an exact replica of our ship (right down to the ship's rails and sails), carved entirely from watermelon and lit from within by a candle. It earned him a standing ovation from all of us.

This morning we jumped off the boat for a swim in the bay's calm, warm waters. Following an ample breakfast, we went kayaking among the islands of karst (of which there are more than 3,000 in the bay). Going ashore on one of them, we saw birds of all kinds, and, entering one of the area's many caves, viewed some lovely stalagtites and stalagmites.
 
Once our sail is over, we plan to return to the elegant, leafy city of Hanoi for one night before continuing on to Hoi An, half way down Vietnam's long coastline.


Past Travel Blogs:
 06/08/10
 09/24/09
 09/09/09
 09/04/09
 08/27/09
 08/09/09
 07/19/09
 05/06/09
 04/25/09
 04/08/09
 04/02/09
 03/08/09
 03/06/09
 02/22/09
 02/10/09
 02/04/09
 02/02/09
 11/18/08
 11/12/08
 11/10/08
 10/30/08
 10/20/08
 09/28/08
 09/16/08
 09/10/08
 09/03/08
 07/06/08
 05/30/08
 05/23/08
 05/11/08
 04/30/08
 04/20/08
 04/13/08
 04/08/08
 02/24/08
 02/16/08
 01/24/08
 01/08/08
 01/04/08
 01/03/08
 01/02/08
 01/01/08
 12/30/07
 12/29/07
 12/28/07
 06/01/07
 05/26/07
 05/22/07
 05/18/07
 05/04/07
 05/02/07
 04/10/07
 04/08/07
 04/03/07
 04/01/07
 03/31/07
 03/30/07
 03/26/07
 03/23/07
 03/20/07
 03/18/07
 03/13/07
 03/08/07
 02/17/07
 12/15/06
 12/13/06
 11/22/06
 11/09/06
 11/04/06
 10/30/06
 10/25/06
 10/18/06
 10/12/06
 10/06/06
 10/03/06
 09/28/06
 09/24/06
 09/17/06
 
Douglas Easton Travel (310) 657-0263 FAX (310) 657-0253 email - info@CelestielleGroup.com