halong bay (one), view from a grotto, August 2009, photos
in collection © 2009-2010 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Once upon a time, soon after the Việt people established their country, invaders came. The Jade Emperor sent Mother Dragon and her Child Dragons down to earth to help the Việt people fight against their enemy. Right at the time invaders’ boats were rushing to the shore, the dragons landed down on earth. The dragons immediately sent out from their mouths a lot of pearls, which then turned into thousands of stone islands emerging in the sea like great walls challenging the invaders’ boats. The fast boats couldn’t manage to stop and crashed into the islands and into each other and broke into pieces.
After the victory, Mother Dragon and Child Dragons believed this country to be so beautiful that they didn’t return Heaven but stayed on earth at the place where the battle had occurred. The location Mother Dragon landed is now called Hạ Long Bay and where Child Dragons descended is now Bái Tử Long. The dragons’ tails waving the water created Long Vĩ (present Trà Cổ peninsula) and formed a fine sand beach over ten kilometers long.
~Legend of Ha Long Bay, adapted from Origin Vietnam website
Every time I come to Vietnam, I try to see a part of the country that I don’t know. Last trip, August 2009, I went north to World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay, in the Gulf of Tonkin. The photos speak for themselves.
Tomorrow, Friday, I’ll fly to the Central Highlands, to the ancient citadel of Hue. (I have been to Central Vietnam before, to the city of Da Nang and the ancient village of Hoi An.)
Sometimes I wonder, How did I get so lucky as to come to know this beautiful country and its compassionate people?
I’m curious. Do you believe in luck? Do you ever marvel at your good fortune? Do you curse bad luck? Let me know if you get a chance.
Excellent photos.
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Thanks. It’s one of those spots in the world where you can’t take anything but.
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These photos are a bit other-worldly in their beauty. I’m happy that you get to see these places.
I don’t have a firm opinion about luck, fortune, karma, or God’s will. The only thing I know for sure is that when I take time to write down the things I’m grateful for, good increases in my life.
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Ah, yes. Thanks, Teri, for sharing that.
I’m blown away every time I come here by what great experiences I have and the ways in which I feel I have friends who will be friends the rest of my life.
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Hi Roma,
Thank you for posting this!!
A view into this culture …
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Beautiful Country…that top one is stellar
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Great Thank you very much
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ybonesy, I always enjoy when you post photos from your travels to Vietnam. My faves are the last two shots of the boats, one close up, one next to the rocks. It really gives you a perspective on the scale of those rocks.
I like the legend of the Dragon and the Pearls. Was surprised to see more dragons pop up in our posts this week. It must be the week of the Dragon. I like reading about legends and mythology.
It’s Friday morning where I live, a whole other day in your part of the world. Will be thinking of you as I head into another driving day next to frozen lakes and dirty snow banks. We couldn’t be living in more different places during these few weeks. The contrast wakes me up.
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Hi QM. We just arrived to Da Nang, and I am so tired, but what a great week we had in Hanoi! Getting to bed by about 10:30 and not set any wake-up call at all. Tomorrow we’ll go to Hue, which, btw, is where Vietnamese painter Pham Luc is from (link in the post above). Looking forward to seeing it. Have a good weekend, QM!
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Glad to see that the folks from Origin Vietnam followed this link. Loved your website!
Thanks for the comments, Heather and Cirrelda. It’s fun to get to know a country gradually, over a series of trips like this. Someone asked me yesterday what my favorite country is that I’ve been to, and maybe it’s because I’ve spent so much time here lately, but my answer was Vietnam.
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Beautiful, Roma.
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Wonderful pictures. You are lucky!
Luck is an interesting concept. Sometimes I believe in it and sometimes I don’t. Usually when it’s something good, I believe in luck but when it’s not so great, it can’t be luck.
Enjoy your travels. Come home safely. Post more pics!
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Thanks, Corina and Lisa. I’m very much enjoying my travels.
I’m loving the weather here. It’s cool but not cold. Slightly damp. Yesterday in Da Nang we walked on the beach and the sun came out and the sky turned bright blue. Then we ate lunch on a deck overlooking the beach, in a strong ocean breeze. It was so beautiful. I didn’t have my camera, but it was the kind of scene I wouldn’t have been able to capture anyway. A huge buddha statue in a distant mountain.
Last night we drove through the longest tunnel in SE Asia, goes under a mountain range and probably cuts out hours of winding up and then down. Although it was claustrophobia-inducing. Got to Hue at about 7p, went out to dinner at the coolest little restaurant. Sat outside and ate Hue traditional foods. And now getting up for a morning of bopping around Hue and seeing what there is to see.
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What a lovely hint of your travels. I can’t imagine how wonderful it must be to explore another country, meet the people, dip into their culture. The photos are amazing, love this boat, the rounded bow, the upturned faces of the boaters. Exquisite!
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Absolutely stunning….Makes me want to go there!
I believe luck is circumstance and hard work coming together 🙂
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I like that definition, beek.
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[…] Local Color — My Favorite Shots From Ha Long Bay […]
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