Today's itinerary took us 3 1/2 hours outside of Hanoi to Ha Long Bay. Along the way, we stopped to see a man plowing his field with hand tools and a crafts emporium where workers created everything from lacquer boxes to marble statues.

The focus was to get to our boat where we could cruise the bay. We boarded the Emeraude, a flat hulled vessel with a fake paddlewheel at the back. We got underway and started to cruise among the many limestone islands in the bay. Unfortunately the haze kept the beauty of these outcroppings hidden in a gauzy curtain. When we would get close enough, you could see the sheer walls plunging to the sea as well as the high tide marks.

We cruised for about an hour and arrived at a small floating village in one of the bays. This village is home to a limestone cave that we toured. We climbed a lot of steps to get to the mouth of the cave and then descended into the dry cave. Colored lights point out some of the more dramatic features. The cave has a complete walking path that winds you from one set of features to the next. We were particularly struck by the scalloped ceiling as it seemed a bit out of place.

We returned to the boat and the captain navigated us to our overnight anchoring in one of the many bays. On the way, Robin and Dad wanted mojitos and they eagerly watched the bartender put fresh mint, scoops of raw sugar, and the juice of a lime into their glasses. He cut stalks of sugarcane and mushed everything. In went the rum and then he moved to another part of the bar. Robin and Dad's faces fell as they heard the dreaded clink of ice cubes into their glasses. The bartender finished the drink with champagne and Robin and Dad had to graciously accept them. They were crestfallen! Without the ice, they would have had some interesting mojitos.

After a buffet dinner everyone settled down to do their own thing. We plan to be up early tomorrow for our tai chi lessons on the sun deck.