Vietnam - Halong Bay

Oh, things look pretty from a boat, especially when you're looking at big old rocks jutting out of the sea and you're on a 1920's paddle steamer. Well, not the original boat, as that sank in 1938, but a damn good copy. Our posh floater was part of a french fleet of stern-wheelers that gadded about in Halong Bay a long time ago, when people listened to Jazz and did the Lindy Hop sipping mint juleps.

A french daddy-o who owns a big travel agency in Vietnam spotted an old black and white picture of it on a postcard and with a bit of detective nouse and a magnifying glass, sussed out that her name was 'Emeraude'. The clever boy found out who owned it, who built it, and got the same company to make a shiny new one for him. What a toy!

So anyway, we climbed aboard at the special pier where all the rich people go and settled down at the bar to watch all the plebs scrumming it out at the public pier up the bay. We were onboard with a racehorse jockey and and a couple of Hollywood agents, scoffing and quaffing like proper lords, and all the while we cruised, there were giant rock formations drifting by. Halong is one of the wonders of the world, you've just got to see it to believe it, trust me. We canoed and swam out to some of the caves. One of them, imaginately named the 'Amazing Cave' was so nicely decked out I actually started dreaming of getting my own and moving into it with some moody lighting and all our designer furniture. I'm digressing. The rocks. They rock. Click this and see 'em.

Emeraude Classic Cruises
http://www.emeraude-cruises.com/