Travel Inspiration: Waking Up in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Just a three-hour bus ride from Hanoi is the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay, the azure home for 1,200 limestone islands called karsts. The magic of Ha Long Bay is the stuff of legends. According to ancient folklore, Ha Long was the resting place of dragons sent by the gods to defend Vietnam from invaders. In fact, Ha Long translates into “where the dragon descends into the sea.” Seeing the ragged karsts rising sharply out of the water and mist, you can easily imagine dragons gliding down among them. It was so gorgeous, it was unreal to me…and exactly what pirate dreams are made of. With the numerous Chinese-style junks surrounding us on all sides and the mist thick like cannon smoke, I felt like I was in the middle of some insane pirate battle. I am plagued by a most overactive imagination and sudden flights of fancy, so when I was exploring the Surprise cave, I could almost hear the sounds of sabers striking in battle and resonating throughout the chamber. When I was paddling through fishing villages, I was imagining a string of pirates paddling behind me, hot on my trail. When I was making sea snail egg rolls, I was a slave in the ship’s galley making treats for the captain’s table. And when I was lounging on the deck of the junk taking in the gorgeous sunset, I was waiting for a cannon ball to come blasting past my head at any second. Luckily I made it out alive to share these pictures with you! 😉

    Thanks for reading! Have you been to or are you considering a sail through Ha Long Bay?