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No Vietnam holiday would be complete without a trip to world-renowned Halong Bay.
We caught a fast boat from Hai Phong to Cat Ba island. No sooner had we pulled up at the wharf, and we were pedaling our way along the coastline to our overnight accommodation - a short but hilly 25-km's away.
We had a 'day at leisure', so Jules, Jonathan and I went for a walk around the fishing port to see what we could find. It turned out to be a great choice as we got a real insight into the locals' everyday lives. Some great photo opportunities.
The following morning started with a short but scenic ride to the wharf at Gia Luan or a 3-hour junk cruise around Halong Bay. And what a beautiful bay it is.
Calm waters littered with thousands of 500-million year old limestone karst 'islands' protruding from the sea floor, each topped with thick jungle vegetation.
According to local legend, when Vietnamese had just started to develop into a country, they had to fight against invaders. To assist Vietnamese in defending their country, the gods sent a family of dragons as protectors. This family of dragons began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets dotting the bay, linking together to form a great wall against the invaders. Under magic, numerous rock mountains abruptly appeared on the sea, ahead of invaders' ships; the forward ships struck the rocks and each other. After winning the battle, the dragons were interested in peaceful sightseeing of the Earth, and then decided to live in this bay. (Liberated - verbatim - from Wikipedia).
All in all, a wonderful day @ Halong Bay. Nice boat, good meal, great company and a truly memorable experience. My photos do it no justice.
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