Vietnam - Cat Ba Island

It’s a four hour trip from Hanoi out to Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Island. The Halong Bay area is hundreds of small islands, dramatic limestone cliffs rising out of the blue-green waters, covered with lush vegetation, home to some huge birds and occasional monkeys, it’s magnificent, unlike anywhere else on earth, positively otherworldy. The water is warm and extra salty which makes the body effortlessly buoyant, swimming feels easier and more natural than anywhere else, its incredible. We do a rock climbing excursion where they set up top-ropes for us on some 80-foot cliffs and the next morning we do some deep water soloing, which is climbing without ropes so when you fall you drop into the water. It is crazy fun, and really scary. The first time you do it, it feels very...counterintuitive. This little boat pulls up to the overhanging rock, you climb on...and then the boat leaves! Mentally you know that it’s cool because this is the whole reason you came out here, but the other parts of your brain and gut are yelling "Hey waitnaminnt where the hell is the boat going!?! What the fuck am I doing here?!?" You screw up the nerve to climb up the rock, maybe 30 or 40 feet up, and it’s gorgeous, the weather is perfect, you look out at the impossibly beautiful scene around you, and you’re amazed you’ve found yourself in this place. While still thinking ohmigod what the fuck am I doing here clinging by fingers and toes to this rock face high over the water, on the other side of the planet from my usual time zone. No place to go but down, so you jump, and it takes an oddly long time to fall 40 feet. Kersplash, and you’re embraced by the warm ocean, and you feel so goddamn alive, and you want to do it again. Fuck yeah.