By Phillip Cabrera
We had our final dinner with Project Vietnam Foundation (PVNF) Friday at a hotel restaurant in Hanoi. I got contact information from PVNF members and then we went our separate ways the next day. My class’s destination was Halong Bay. This entire trip has been one big highlight reel.
The bus ride to Halong Bay took three hours from Hanoi. We immediately boarded our private boat – an entire boat to ourselves for the night. It was time to relax and enjoy the scenery of what I consider to be one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. I would come to Halong Bay for a honeymoon or would travel here with that special someone.
We went cave exploring and saw the Surprise Cave, which could easily have been mistaken for an Indiana Jones movie set. A great part for me while exploring the caves was the exercise. We hiked almost vertically to get to the entrances of the cave. The next morning, some of my classmates and I hiked a steep incline to the top of a lookout point. Other adventures included me putting my body to good use and setting off a sweet cannonball off the boat into the bay. The water was so cold that I didn’t want to stay in long, but that jump made it worth it. I swam with my classmate Keith, while my classmates Johnny and Lucio shot photos of our sweet dives. The rest of the class kayaked around the bay. Then we had dinner and relaxed for the rest of the night.
