26th through the 28th of August. Halong Bay. Ever since I set my eyes upon that gorgeous pink hued photograph of this archipelago I've wanted to go here. The highlight of Vietnam! No, the highlight of all of Asia! A lot of time has passed since that fateful day in February, and I have seen a lot. Still, the expectations remained...

These high expectations are probably the reason why I didn't like Halong Bay as much as it should deserve. That and the weather. And the millions of tourists thronged in the bay, on the thousands of boats destroying that one idyllic image that everyone is looking for. Boats were leaving every few minutes, full of tourists, thudding out to the giant rock formations rising from the sea. Legend has it that as a giant dragon charged towards the coast its flailing tail gouged out valleys and crevasses. When it finally plunged into the sea, the area filled with water, leaving only the pinnacles visible. I couldn't have said it better myself.

We board the boat at the bay, which immediately heads out. A three-day tour, all-inclusive, for $130. All-inclusive except for drinks. And the only free drinks you get is one sorry cup of tea or coffee for breakfast. Nothing for lunch or dinner. What the hell? Even now, this pisses me off. I paid a damn lot of money, and not a single lousy fizzy drink, water, can't be spared? Drinks are of course horribly overpriced on the boat. Bah.

The weather is ok, the sun is scorching. Visibility could be better, everything is covered in a misty haze. It's one of those days that look good when you are there yourself, but are completely forgettable on a photograph. We sunbathe, go for a short swim, jump off of the boat into the deep waters. From about 8 metres high, I have to gather a bit of courage before jumps. Can't manage to bring myself to do a headfirst though. f***ing chicken! In the afternoon we go for a little bit of kayaking which is just absolutely gorgeous. Sliding next to the almost vertical cliffs of the karst mountains, in the calm, blue waters, the sun high, this makes it all worth it. Halfway through we enter a small cave, and at the other end discover a small lake.

In the evening most of the crowd stays upstairs in the bar, playing drinking games, getting totally pissed, topless, rancid. I think I should've read a bit more about this Hanoi Backpackers tour as I didn't know this were to be a party trip. Not enough money for two days of partying - especially at these prices - so we just go to sleep. And the troubles start...

A huge thunderstorm hits the boat at night, rocking back and forth, and the rain doesn't slow down until morning. It keeps raining more or less the whole day. And the whole following morning, pretty much ruining the tour. We transfer to another boat after breakfast, going for one of the islands to spend the day, and night. This far out there are no tourists, no boats, just us. This is how Halong Bay should be... in good weather. Damn. Along the way we see villages floating on empty drums. People actually live here. We see the odd dog running around, children playing, men fishing. Most of the people here don't ever set foot on land. They are born on floating hospitals, go to school on floating schools, live in floating houses, and die sinking to the bottom to the sea. I couldn't do it though. Would bore me to hell. But that's me.

The small island would be gorgeous. Small beach, huge vertical rocks behind, small bamboo huts and a bar. But it's pissing rain, so there isn't much that can be done. We sit, talk, eat, play some table tennis, go into the water to be more wet. The highlight is actually the wakeboarding. Upon booking the trip you could pick an activity. Having already rock climbed I opt for the watery version of snowboarding. And I rock! At my second attempt I can get up already and let myself be pulled by the boat. The only reason I fall is because I can't remember which foot I have in front when snowboarding so try to do a 180 to flip. Bad idea. I end up face-first in the water. Goofy is right foot first! Jegyezd már meg te marha!

I am the king of the sea, zipping left and right, even managing a small jump - and keep standing! - holding the rope with a single hand, waving, a huge smile on my face. So much better than my previous attempt at waterskiing when all I managed to do is smell the fumes of the speedboat as it continually turned back to pick me up every few seconds.

Another drinking party tonight. Can't believe how much these twentyish kids can drink. I do join them but quickly run out of money. From then on I just nick other ones' drinks. They're too drunk to notice. Win-win for everyone :) The next morning is still raining and we're actually happy to leave this place. Too bad Halong Bay, you could've been soo much more!