Tour de Ha Long Bay

There's a saying in English that

Staging the Hamlet without the prince of Denmark

I have realized the actual meaning of that saying during my visit to Vietnam last year. I had been on a government tour to Vietnam in the early August. After reaching the capital city Ha Noi we have been engaged by enormous amount of meeting, visiting hospitals and district health posts. The city Ha Noi itself is a beauty on the bank of some great lakes named Ho Tay (West Lake) and Hoan Kiem Lake.

We resided on a boutique hotel near Ho Tay. The nights were so beautiful. But I am feeling increasingly restless for not getting the opportunity to visit the world renowned Ha Long Bay. One fine Sunday morning, at last we started for the Ha Long Bay and reached there by 11 am.

Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay seemed to me a fairy tale - big blue sky, exquisitely stunning waters, triangular, quadrangular or polygonal hills protruding from the water make the place breathtakingly beautiful. The place is recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site since 1995. Ha Long Bay eclipsed other natural beauties such as the great Sundarbans to be among the top seven natural wonders of the world in 2012. We started to visit the Ha long Bay in an engine boat.

How Ha Long Bay came to existence

The local legend about how the bay came to reality is very interesting. When the invading forces attacked the Vietnam to capture the country it is believed that the almighty sent a troop of dragons to protect the kingdom. The dragons spread many jewels along the coastline of the bay. The jewels gathered together to form formidable defense wall along the bay. The enemy ships were destroyed by a strong wind sent them breaking down to the hills. After the war ended with a thumping win for the Vietnam kingdom, the dragons decided to reside upon the place named as Ha Long and continued to protect the King and the people. So the place came to be known as Ha Long Bay.

Ha Long continues to be a natural defense for Vietnam. Kublai Khan, the fearsome Mongol invader attacked Vietnam in 1288. His vast fleet of war ships were destroyed within the hills of the bay. During the Vietnam war, the US Marine placed many landmines in several islands that is still regarded as a threat for explosion.

Sung Sot Cave

Sung Sot or Surprise Grotto is situated at the centre of this world heritage site and attracts most tourist with its beauty and mystery. scending to the grotto, the way is covered by trees and foliage, and consists of great paved stone blocks. Sung Sot Cave is on the same island Bo Hon with Trinh Nu cave. The path to Sung Sot is quite steep and is lined with shady trees. The cave has 2 chambers. The outer chamber is square and is often referred to as the waiting room. The cave’s ceiling is approximately 30 m high. The walls are almost perfectly smooth as if it was built by man. The walls generate a variety of colors that blend with the setting of the area. I recite the great Tagore seeing the tourists with lamp in their hands

আলো হাতে চলিয়াছে আঁধারের যাত্রী

to be continued