Halong Bay in northern Vietnam consists of 1,969 isles, covering an area of about 600 square miles. Because of the stunning beauty of the bay, which features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes, it has been made a UNESCO World Heritage site.
History shows that Halong Bay has been the setting for local naval battles against Vietnam’s coastal neighbors. The Chinese were kept from landing on three different occasions. During the Vietnam War, many of the channels between the islands were heavily mined by the U.S. navy, some of which pose a threat to shipping to this day.
There are legends about how the islands were made. All have to do with a dragon(s) coming from the heavens to protect the land that is now Vietnam. Some say the dragons spit out jewels which became the islands forming a protection against invaders. Other say it was a dragon’s tail that created the islands. Ha Long means “descending dragon.”
We were later than expected getting to this port due to rough seas the night before. Also, it seemed to take the authority hours to clear the ship for disembarkation. But we did get off late morning and had time to take the tender to the little town lined with stalls for an hour’s worth of shopping. We bought a wooden dragon carving as a remembrance of this magical place! Doug also found a t-shirt with red print that said Good Morning Vietnam.
We had a quick lunch and then took our afternoon tour of the islands. It lasted about 4 hours. We boarded these small wooden boats that held about 30 people.
We boarded these small wooden boats that held about 30 people.
The pilot of the boat actually lives on it – his bed is behind the steering wheel, and his kitchen is at the back of the boat. The rest was set up with lots of tables on the main floor, and then an open space on top. We spent most of the time on top to get a great view of all the islands.
We made a stop at one of the larger islands where there was one of the largest and most beautiful caves. It is called Ho Cung Thien meaning “fairy lake cave.” It is named for its enclosed shallow lake. It is there that the fairies swim when no one is looking, of course!
The lights inside the cave make it easier to see the details in the limestone.
The cave was only discovered in 1993 (the natives knew about it long before then) and since then was made accessible to visitors. To get in, you have to climb up many steps made of the limestone. Inside, lights have been put in so you can better see the many detailed designs in the stalagmites and stalactites. It was a beautiful cave.
Back on our wooden boat, we made our way in and around many of the islands – some covered with lush vegetation while others are bare. Some have tiny beaches. They are all beautiful.
On one part of the bay area, there is a floating fishing village. There are even two floating banks!
It is hard to believe that people really live on these floating platforms in the middle of the bay.
Several times during our cruising, smaller boats came up and sold fresh fruit.
We bought and sampled some of the local fruit. The small bananas were very sweet!
Our little wooden boat delivered us back to the Amsterdam just in time before we were to sail away. We had dinner with our table and then decided to get another good night’s sleep – knowing that two long days in Hong Kong are coming up and we don’t want to miss a minute of that fun.
No comments:
Post a Comment