Halong Bay, Vietnam

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Halong Bay (How long Bay) is located in the infamous (of Vietnam War resolution fame) Gulf of Tonkin in far northern Vietnam. The gulf is a near lake created by the curve of Vietnam and the island of Hainan off the China coast, and the bay lies in the western corner, near the Chinese border. As with most of our journey, we had nice weather with mysteriously hazy skies. We were finally to learn that this is winter in this part of the world. The air is dry, but the mixing of cold air from the continent and warm air from the South China Sea creates a perpetual haze which seemed to lessen as we travelled south.

The bay is famous for the 1,969 islands that dot the harbor. We remember how many islands because "Uncle Ho", their revered leader, Ho Chi Minh, died in 1969. The islands are limestone pillars that rise steeply from the sea. Nearly all are uninhabited and they make for a beautiful sight. Tourism is alive and well here and the many tourists from nearby China are a great source of income for the Vietnamese economy. By the way, the U.S. ranks number 3 in tourists who visit Vietnam.

With all the limestone in the area, there are many caves to be explored. We visited the famous Thien Cung Cave. It involved a hike up to the entrance where we were to experience a beautifully lit and high ceilinged cave.

Our guide shows us around

Great lighting inside

There is a world of exploring to be done in Halong Bay. Many tourists stay on overnight cruises visiting the many islands and there is a town to explore. We took a tender trip into town, but found things to be rather quiet, though we visited a nice park beneath their huge bridge and we found a hotel to sit outside of and swipe some wifi!

Families bring their boats alongside to sell produce, mostly little bananas. Very tasty.

This is a huge coal producing region. These wooden vessels are loaded with coal that is destined for China

Off to our next adventure!

Hong Hong

At 8pm the buildings perform a fantastic laser light show (this isn't the light show, it's their normal lighting)

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If you've never been to Hong Kong, it's New York in Miami with mountains. After 10 days in Taiwan, Hong Kong felt like we left Asia; much more familiar, less foreign. English is everywhere, lots of upscale shopping and hotels, western food (my first fork in 10 days!), wealth disparity. It's a lively, busy port centered around a huge financial industry and things look great there.

TV on the train to the city center

Arrival to Hong Kong is very 21st century. The airport is huge and well laid out and there is a high speed train into the city. Really, flying through the city in excess of 100mph is pretty outstanding!

Trains arrive from beyond a glass wall!

Hong Kong is on an island, or a number of islands, but part of the city is also on the mainland. Although it is officially a part of China, it is an autonomous region and travelers, and Hong Kong residents, need a passport or visa to get across the border to China.

We had lunch at a Chicago themed sports tavern in a beautiful, upscale mall. Burgers all around!

Here's part of the mall

We took a tour of the city. Here are highlights:

At the top of Mt. Victoria

City view from Mt Victoria

Boat tour!

Apparently, this is the largest floating restaurant in the world. It's in Hong Kong harbor

Harbor scene

Tourist pavilion on top of Mt Victoria

Self explanatory...

I believe this is Asia's tallest building. It's taller than 1 World Trade in NY. It sits on the mainland, though it's still part of Hong Kong.There is a light show covering the entire building and it's amazing!

Taroko National Park

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Taroko National Park is one of 8 national parks in Taiwan. It's located on the east (Pacific) coast near the town of Hualien, where we stayed. It has a spectacular gorge cut through the marble rocks by the Liwu river. Hiking trails abound and camping is a big attraction. Many trails are very rugged and require permits to hike. Helmets are required on some trails because of frequent rock falls; not surprising since the mountains are so vertical here.

On the way to the park, we stopped at a roadside shop to have a lemonade made with their special green lemons (they refer to them as green lemons; we thought they were limes). It was delicious!

Nancy inquires about how much hot sauce to add to her lemonade

In 2013 heavy rains triggered a huge landslide that knocked the road out of commission for some time and one can still see the effects, which will be apparent for many years to come. I should mention that the road through the park is an engineering marvel and a real white knuckle ride!

Dressed for Success!

Yeah, it was a deep gorge!

It was high, and it was rickety..

You want us to cross what...?

After our Taroko trip, we detoured to the Pacific Ocean beach on our way back to our B&B. It was a beautiful beach, a bit haunting in the grayness of winter, and a bit rough on the feet as it was a stone beach.

Our patient guide!

Our beautiful Hualien B&B

With our delightful hostess, Kate

Sun Moon Lake

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Sun Moon Lake is so named because half the lake resembles the sun and half resembles the moon. It's big, beautiful, and ringed by huge mountains. It's a popular tourist destination and there were many visitors even though it was off season in mid week. It's a popular destination for Chinese tourists, and they are abundant.  

There is an aboriginal population on Taiwan and they have a prominent presence on the east coast, but also, here at Sun Moon Lake. Here is a group of local musicians playing at the pier. The tourists are really funny. They jump into the band to pose for photos while the band is playing! They even expect the musicians to sign autographs during the songs! And the amazing thing is that the band just keeps on going. It must be like this everyday... 

Autographing while singing!

Posing

Our hotel was right on the lake and we had fun using the bikes they provided to ride the beautiful bike paths they built around the lake.

Back in the saddle

Bike path near the hotel

Bike path bridge

Scenic overlook

Great location for wedding photos

We took a boat trip...

...went on a gondola...

..and visited beautiful Wunwu temple!

A great time was had by all!

Taichung, On the Way To Sun Moon Lake

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People wait on the floor at Taipei train station. A beautiful
food court surrounds the waiting area.

We traveled by train from Taipei south about 250 miles along the west coast to the city of Taichung. Along the way I saw what seemed like endless urbanization and industry. Taiwan's population is crowded along the coast since it gets quite mountainous as soon as one turns inland. There is great evidence of farming, though plots are generally much smaller than we're used to seeing and rice paddies are right there in the cities and towns. 

At any rate, I think that Taichung is what Taipei was just a few years back. It's a crowded city dominated by scooters travelling everywhere and no sidewalks to speak of. Every family seems to have a small business attached to the front of their house so there are endless storefronts selling a multitude of products, with food being a dominant business. There are plenty of places to eat, especially if you enjoy dining al fresco since outdoor carts are plentiful. Taichung is a lively and exciting place.

Dinner awaits!

Busy Taichung

Taichung night market

The streets can be narrow

Another great meal!

Here is the hot sauce. They put a small bowl of this on the table in case diners like spicy. This is the bowl in the back that serves as the source for all the tables. There is enough heat in this bowl to paralyze a small American city.

We had a nice overnight stay in Taichung and boarded a bus the next day to take us to Sun Moon Lake in the mountains to the east. This is where we got to experience the comfort and cleanliness of the tour buses. Really, the tour buses have to be seen to be believed. Impeccably clean and comfortable beyond any bus I've been on (and I've been on a lot!)

Next time: the beautiful Sun Moon Lake.