Ha Long Bay is a New World Wonders and should be a stop for anyone visiting Vietnam.  After polling other travelers and hostel staff I decided to go with a 3D2N excursion called Castaways; it was slightly more expensive than the other options but I already knew a handful of the people signed up and it turned out to be a great choice!

As the bus from our hostel in Hanoi got closer to the coast we began seeing the iconic mountains scattered among the land.  Perhaps they too were at one point surrounded by water but now formed the basis for a beautiful port.  We boarded a small boat to transfer to Mama’s party cruise ship.  From the outside it certainly looks like the Chinese Junk Boat that it is but the cabins and interior were great.  We had a sun deck to hang out on as we passed the…