The major reason for us to visit Hanoi was to eventually get over to Halong bay.
The bay is filled with hundreds of these small limestone islands jutting out of the water.
Just as we were pulling away from the shore we saw this bird of prey fishing. It was successful.
From a distance it looks like it is a wall of mountains.
Up close they take on a few different shapes like the snail.
Some have eroded to where only sheer cliff faces are left.
Others have overhanging spires.
They all looked really neat as we sailed through.
We did stop sometimes, and not just for tourist things. Sometimes it was to cool off and relax in the very warm water.
You can see the tide levels as it goes down. And sometimes this reveals caves you can go into.
We stayed overnight and the boats are only allowed to park where there are parking signs.
Sunset was nice but there was an island in the way. Although if we could see the horizon it would have been much rockier.
We set an alarm to wake us before sunrise.
Kerri actually got out of bed to get the pictures.
Matt just stayed in bed and watched a bit from the window as our cabin faced the sunrise.
Many of the rocks are very eroded at the bottom.
They looked like they would fall over and crush the boat.
I wonder if that bird of prey caught a snake. It is eel-shaped but eels never swim at the surface. Marine snakes do as they need to get air.