Ha Long Bay is on the east coast of Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin. Yes, this is the same Gulf of Tonkin where a supposed altercation took place between a US Navy Destroyer and Vietnam Navy speed boats. The incident has been disputed since. Nevertheless this led to a rapid escalation of the war between the US and Vietnam. However this happened far south on the coast and not anywhere near Ha Long Bay.
Ha Long stands for the Bay of Descending Dragons. Ha Long Bay is considered one of the 7 new Wonders of the World. It is about 100 miles directly to the east of Ha Noi, the capital city. We got here yesterday. 100 miles may not seem like much, but here in Vietnam it means 4 to 5 hours of driving on a highway with traffic consisting of a mix of trucks, buses, cars and motorcycles. The roads were also only two lanes with slow moving traffic blocking the right lane.
We checked out of the hotel, piled into the bus and headed to the cruise terminal. The terminal is on an island called Tuần Châu on the southwest side of Ha Long city. All along on our trip so far we have had nothing but clear skies and hot temperatures. But today we encountered a cold, cloudy, misty day. Felt like we were back in Seattle. It was not as cold though. The temperature was in the 60's. But we all brought jackets because the wind during the cruise was sure to produce some wind chill.
We walked through the terminal to get to the piers. The marina is lined on either side by apartment buildings. We don't what they cost but they are bound to be expensive. We are going to cruise on a traditional wooden junk boat. Note: Junk doesn't mean the boat is in bad shape. It is a designation for Chinese and Asian vessels that are sea going wooden boats. In the olden days they were all fitted with sails. But today the junk boat is driven by a diesel engine.
Ha Long Bay is truly spectacular. There are over 2000 islands and islets. The islands are made mostly of limestone. They are like huge rocks that rise from the ocean. Many of these islands are hollow inside with enormous caves. We will be visiting one of these caves today. These islands are uninhabited except for a few communities that live on floating houses in the Bay. They make a living through fishing and harvesting mussels.
Halong Bay Islands
After several hours of cruising through the islands we arrived at one of the caves known as Thien Cung. Thien Cung means 'Heavenly Palace'. It covers about 100,000 square feet. The opening is narrow and opens into an enormous cavern. The cave is lit in strategic places. There are three chambers. The inner chambers are covered with a large number of massive stalactites and stalagmites. The sight is simply breathtaking. The stalactites form interesting structures on the walls. Our guide indicated various formations that seem to like a dragon, a laughing buddha, a pregnant woman etc. I have some pictures posted below. But these don't really do justice.
Our boat returned to the cruise terminal around 1pm. We then headed straight back to Hanoi.
Ha Long stands for the Bay of Descending Dragons. Ha Long Bay is considered one of the 7 new Wonders of the World. It is about 100 miles directly to the east of Ha Noi, the capital city. We got here yesterday. 100 miles may not seem like much, but here in Vietnam it means 4 to 5 hours of driving on a highway with traffic consisting of a mix of trucks, buses, cars and motorcycles. The roads were also only two lanes with slow moving traffic blocking the right lane.
We checked out of the hotel, piled into the bus and headed to the cruise terminal. The terminal is on an island called Tuần Châu on the southwest side of Ha Long city. All along on our trip so far we have had nothing but clear skies and hot temperatures. But today we encountered a cold, cloudy, misty day. Felt like we were back in Seattle. It was not as cold though. The temperature was in the 60's. But we all brought jackets because the wind during the cruise was sure to produce some wind chill.
The day is starting out cold, cloudy and misty
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The cruise terminal
Band playing traditional Vietnamese music in the Cruise Terminal
We walked through the terminal to get to the piers. The marina is lined on either side by apartment buildings. We don't what they cost but they are bound to be expensive. We are going to cruise on a traditional wooden junk boat. Note: Junk doesn't mean the boat is in bad shape. It is a designation for Chinese and Asian vessels that are sea going wooden boats. In the olden days they were all fitted with sails. But today the junk boat is driven by a diesel engine.
The Terminal Dock
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Our Cruise Boat
Ha Long Bay is truly spectacular. There are over 2000 islands and islets. The islands are made mostly of limestone. They are like huge rocks that rise from the ocean. Many of these islands are hollow inside with enormous caves. We will be visiting one of these caves today. These islands are uninhabited except for a few communities that live on floating houses in the Bay. They make a living through fishing and harvesting mussels.
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Taking a well-deserved nap--all this tourism stuff is exhausting!
Families of Fishermen in Floating Houses
After several hours of cruising through the islands we arrived at one of the caves known as Thien Cung. Thien Cung means 'Heavenly Palace'. It covers about 100,000 square feet. The opening is narrow and opens into an enormous cavern. The cave is lit in strategic places. There are three chambers. The inner chambers are covered with a large number of massive stalactites and stalagmites. The sight is simply breathtaking. The stalactites form interesting structures on the walls. Our guide indicated various formations that seem to like a dragon, a laughing buddha, a pregnant woman etc. I have some pictures posted below. But these don't really do justice.
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The Thien Cung Cave
View of the Bay from Thien Cung Cave
Laughing Buddha welcoming returning Travellers
Our boat returned to the cruise terminal around 1pm. We then headed straight back to Hanoi.
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