Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay is one of four UNESCO World Heritage Sites that we'll be seeing in Viet Nam. It's a place of mystical beauty where the light on the limestone islands and surrounding seas change constantly. Like most places in Southeast Asia, there is a story about its origins. This one has to do with a family of dragons that the gods sent to protect the people from the Chinese invaders. The dragons spit out jewels and jade to form a wall, and these turned into the islands that dot the bay. The place where the mother dragon flew down to live was called Ha Long - Descending Dragon.

We stay overnite on a replica of a Vietnamese junk, visit Hung Sung Sot, also known as the "Cave of Awe," sail by a pearl farm and floating fishing villages and even engage in a bit of commerce with one of the fishing boat families that live on the water. But most of all, we simply enjoy the serenity and beauty and take pictures! Below are photos of some of the scenery we try to capture with our camera. Words don't do it justice and, in a sense, neither do the pictures. You'll just have to go. To be sure it survives tourism and pollution, you might want to cast your vote for Ha Long Bay as one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World" at http://www.new7wonders.com