We were oh so fortunate to get to Ha Long Bay the first day tours were running again after the typhoon, and although we didn't have brilliantly sunny weather the entire time the Bay was still amazing.
Ha long means 'where the dragon descends into the sea' and legend has it that long ago when the Vietnamese were fighting Chinese invaders, the gods sent a family of dragons to help defend the land. This family of dragons descended upon what is now Ha Long Bay and began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets dotting the bay, and they provided a barrier from the invaders.
The port at Ha Long is an incredibly busy place, with boats coming and going all over the place.
This is the boat I was on - the Bien Ngoc 22.
The staff who looked after us for our overnight in the bay.
The dining room and my cabin.
And how is this for a creative use of a carrot - creating "fish in a net".
The bay consists of a dense cluster of nearly 2000 limestone monolithic islands, each topped with jungle vegetation, rising spectacularly from the ocean.
Some of the islands support floating villages of fishermen, who ply the waters for more than 200 species of fish and 450 different kinds of mollusks.
Several of the islands are hollow, and many support enormous caves. Me Cung cave is one that I visited - and its many chambers were filled with stalactites and stalagmites.
Another amazing experience was the chance to go kayaking, and in a kayak we were able to get into some caverns and lagoons that the big boat cannot get into. We were kayaking right at sunset and at one point the light reflecting off the islands was spectacular. Inside the lagoon we saw a little family of monkeys. (I even managed a couple of photos without losing my paddle.) It was amazingly calm and peaceful inside the lagoon - I think I could have floated there for hours given the opportunity.
It was magical on the boat over night too - and a full moon just the perfect way to end the day.
And then to get up in the morning and continue cruising among the islands ... what more could one ask for??
Unfortunately though all good things must come to an end ... and by about noon we were off the boat and heading back to Hanoi.
That looks amazing. And a nice picture of you, but you aren't wearing purple, so I'm not sure it's really you.
ReplyDeleteI can assure you it was really me, but you're right about the purple. And I have a pretty limited wardrobe these days with the only two colour choices being purple and black, so I had a 50/50 chance that day.
DeleteThanks so much for the Ha Long Bay pictures. I used to teach a unit in Grade 8 French that told that story about the dragon in the bay. I will share these with the dragon lover at our house!
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