Halong Bay (runner-up for Seven Wonders of the World)

HIGHLIGHTS:

- Mastered the tractics of crossing the street. (Throw out everything you once knew about looking both ways and waiting for cars to stop. Walk at a steady pace and shoulder-to-shoulder so you're a smaller, more predictable target. Proceed with confidence. Pray.)

- Found and entire STREET of candy shops!

- Saw Halong Bay and felt straight out of Pirates of the Carribean. Incidentally, we were the only female travelers on an all-day boat ride with some exceptionally good-looking Australians, Germans, and Brits. Not so bad.


LOWLIGHTS: - Had a falling out w/ our hotel owner b/c we bought bus tickets from someone cheaper. Then we were told that there were "reservations" for the next day so we weren't guaranteed a room when we came back that night. Took our business elsewhere. Eesh.

- Bought a giant bag of dried fruit, including pineapple...that turned out to be ginger. Anyone ever had straight ginger? I almost died.

- Heard a suspicious sound and looked up to see our boat captain behind the steering wheel smoking a bong. Is that legal here??