![\"DSC04103-46\"](\"http:\/\/bitpunk.net\/sushibits\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/DSC04103-46.jpg\")
<\/a>Halong Bay is an area covering more than 1500 km2 and these limestone outcroppings have been formed over a period of many millions of years. There are more than 700 different little islands in Halong Bay in all kinds of shapes. Our boat sailed past islands as ” demon face island”, \u00a0” teapot island”, ” snail island” and many more!<\/p>\nThe boat anchored for the night, and we floated there peacefully among many other colorful boats. Magical!<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>People were collecting oysters, clams and shells on the rocky beaches of the islands. Even though the area is touristy, it’s also a place where a lot of Vietnamese people do their fishing and there are actually small villages built right on top of the water.<\/p>\n<\/a>Floating on the water with the baby in the hammock ;-)<\/a><\/a>The area is riddled with caves and we visited one of the biggest!<\/p>\n<\/a>As the night fell we witnessed a beautiful sundown…<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>The crew taught us how to do squid-fishing (which has to be done at night). Ward hauled a\u00a0long bamboo pole with a fishline attached to it up and down in the water, hoping to lure some squids the cook would prepare for us, but unfortunately no bites ;-)<\/p>\n<\/a>We returned to our tiny cabin to get some sleep, because the next day we would get up really early\u00a0to do Tai Chi on the deck while watching the sunrise!<\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a> <\/a><\/a>After we returned from our beautiful boatride through Halong Bay,\u00a0we travelled\u00a0to another karst area, more to the south of Hanoi, called Ninh Binh. This area is also known as ” Halong Bay on land”, and has the same kind of limestone formations. But this time, they are surrounded by jungle, banana trees and bright green rice fields. Also a very magical place!!<\/p>\n<\/a>We stayed a night in a very quiet and remote village, and got up really early the next morning to go to the limestone karsts.There, we got in a tiny boat that was peddled by an old woman who spoke no English whatsoever but insisted on telling us a lot about the neighbourhood :-)<\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a>Because it was so early, the whole area was so peaceful and quiet. There were colorful birds everywhere. We saw a kingfisher!<\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a>The river was lined with huge limestone mountains, and riddled with caves which we peddled through. We used a flashlight to find our way through the caves which had fantastic formations.<\/p>\n<\/a>Sometimes we would meet other fishermen, who would strike up lively conversations with our peddler woman :-)<\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a> <\/a>The reflections in the water were so intense, it was like dreamworld!<\/p>\n<\/a>After our boattrip, we took the bike and biked for about an hour through the limestone landscapes and visited a couple of temples along the way. The people were working hard, gathering snails in the water.<\/p>\n<\/a>I was a little rainy, which actually enhanced the mysterious atmosphere of this area! Really, really beautiful!!<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a> <\/a>\u00a0The limestone karst areas of Vietnam are really amazing. The surreal shapes in the mist create\u00a0a very dreamy atmosphere, which was not only very calming, but also a fantastic inspiration for our art!<\/p>\n