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| Get ready for buku emo pictures |
Tourism is a double edged sword. A beautiful place will be hard to get to, expensive to stay at, deprived of basic comforts, and poorly maintained if there are no tourists to care enough about it. On the other hand, get yourself World Heritage status and prepare to welcome the hordes of dirty backpackers smelling of athlete's foot, shady tour companies moonlighting as illegal immigrant smugglers, shitty canned western food, and lots - LOTS - of parachute pants.
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| When you're Vietnamese, it's cool to be dirty. I've yet to see a pasty dread-locked hippie embrace a pee-soaked floor on an overnight train like this woman. |
Anyone who has been to Ha Long has probably been off-put by the hordes of tourists and backpackers at the dock. But when you finally get out into the bay on your junk (boat, that's what they call it...fitting name), all the noise and hoopla fades away, and you get a moment of serenity and calm to yourself.
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| I was the only non-white person. This is sadly the case 99% of the time. |
Some of the islands have been turned into roaring tourist resorts, but during the weekday, it's really quite peaceful.
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| Floating markets. I am curious to understand their plumbing system. Mostly in regards to the relationship between local feces and midnight skinny dipping. |
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| Surprising Cave |
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| This was the surprise (I'm serious). |
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| Our tour guide is a master of the Asian Squat |
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| Hipstamatic lvl99 |
Abrupt ending to the post because my friend came over and I must go entertain her.
