Hello Wanderers!
One year ago exactly I was cruising Ha Long Bay on board what they call a “junk boat” (a modern version of the slow sailing ships originally from China): it was one of the highlights of my stay in Vietnam, such a marvellous experience. Back then I had created a video about it for this blog, but never managed to post it. Time passed and I couldn’t find it anymore, until today, when it magically resurfaced from a hard disk I had forgotten about! So, bizarrely enough, after one year exactly here’s the video of that magical experience!
Ha Long Bay is considered one of the 7 Natural Wonders of The World, and it was nominated UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The name means “where the dragon descends into the sea” and it comes from an ancient legend, according to which a giant dragon appeared once to help the local people in their fight against Northern invaders. After they achieved victory the dragon remained, turning into a fence of rocky limestone islets as protection for further invasions.
When my junk boat cruise started, the weather was not promising and when it started raining I thought “here we go, my usual luck…”… but after we visited the Thien Cung cave (majestic grotto of stalactite, not to be missed, absolutely stunning!), the sky cleared up and the vessel kept gliding along those beautiful rocks and cliffs until sunset.
If you are planning a trip to Vietnam you absolutely have to cruise Ha Long Bay by junk boat. And now, enjoy my little video from that awesome experience!
The Artful Wanderer 