Halong Bay, goodbye Vietnam.

Mark, Aly, Mat, Jon, Julie and I spent our last night together on a boat cruising around Halong Bay, which turns out to be my second favorite location in Vietnam. The rocky monoliths are simply a darker shade of the misty grey sky. They appear silently, jutting out over the smooth grey water. On the surface of the water, a thin veil of white blocks out the formations origins in the water. Photos in this situation are futile. The rocks and the fog are something that are better saved in memory. The pictures posted over the beaming faces in tourist offices are much clearer that the view around our junk boat, but the mysticism of Halong Bay seems made for this weather. The occasional butterfly instills fascination, seeing as the islands are uninhabited. Judging by their silhouette, the surface of these shapes are extremely rocky. The rocks are staggered one behind the other, creating the perfect grey scale. Even the sky puts off a white light that shines grey on the colorless water. The ink black junk boats are unfortunately lacking the traditional fish bone-like ribs of the mast chopping the brilliant tangerine orange sails into thick chunks, offering a splash of color. We could very well be watching a silent black and white film from a gently rocking wooden couch. Said goodbye to my babies, and am currently back in Bangkok, saying goodbye to Phil and Dan, whom I met in Cambodia (so many goodbyes!), but will soon welcome my sister to the long complicated, wonderful world that is Paige's trip around the world. Oh, and I will be celebrating my six month anniversary on the 29th of December. That means only six months left to go folks. Boo. Check ya lates.