We were sailing along on Halong Bay

Now that you've been blasted by photos from Michael, I'll just wind up quickly about our day today.
Compared to yesterday's crazy, frenetic pace this was a real sleeper...except for the not sleeping part.
We were picked up this morning by our driver and our guide....Hoang (or "Tim", his easier tourist name though Hoang seems perfectly do-able to us) from Hai Phong. He was so intent on us understanding his English and would constantly ask if we understood and if not he would stick with it until we comprehended every subtle nuance of his stories. Admirable, for sure. But it was giving me a headace at 6AM.
Meanwhile, the ride to Halong Bay was longer than anticipated...almost 4 hours. Luckily we had our Kindle's with us so we could read during the drive.
Once there, the boat was, in fact, just what 'Manager' said it would be and just the two of us on it. It was a beautiful day out on the water, clearing to sunny but with a nice breeze. Walks through two caves and just motoring around the bay looking at island after island after island of the 1986 that exist in the bay.
Lunch on the boat was quite a spread....chicken wings, fresh shrimp, whole fish, squid, salads, veggies, rice, etc etc etc.
And then about 3 hours back. (Funny thing. Anybody who's ever taken a horse out for a ride knows that they move a lot faster once you turn back towards the barn. Well, same is true of Halong Bay boats and Hanoi drivers.)
Gotta go search for dinner now.
Tomorrow Goodbye Vietnam! Hello Laos!