Vietnamese mythology describes Ha Long Bay as the place where the dragons enter the sea. It is believed that when they ran down from the land they bashed apart the mountains with their tails creating enormous boulders that fell into the sea which are now the over 1000 islands with the Ha Long Bay area. When you see the scattered pattern of rounded tops mounds throughout the large bay, it is easy to imagine frolicking dragons.
We had a lovely 5 hour cruise around the islands in the morning. There was a stop at a cave that included enormous chambers. Hundreds of years ago, those caves would flood with sea water. This resulted in ceiling designs that look like sandy beaches - rubbed smooth with large pox marks. There were also many stalactites and stalacmites that can appear as interesting creatures if you use your imagination (or squint just right).
The highlight of the day was of course the surrounding vista. It is such a serene location. The misty sky fades gently into the island tops. It is like a living watercolor painting. You can't help but recognize the majestic simplicity of the area. Which makes me remember that in the grand scheme of things like is really simple. When I get home I will recall these quiet islands when I need to collect my thoughts in the seemingly chaotic world.
Ha Long Bay was designated a World Heritage site in the mid 80's.
Photos to follow soon.
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comment:
Did you get to sleep on a boat in Ha Long Bay?
Post a Comment