Halong Bay, Vietnam

The first time I jumped into the inviting waters of Halong Bay, it crossed my mind that there might lie beneath its stillness, creatures as yet undiscovered by science. I imagined that these creatures were circling our old junk boat with every instinct to tear into anything live, moving and therefore, to their primitive unformed minds, edible.

These thoughts and the unimaginable horror of being pulled into the depths, ripped to shreds and eaten alive presented itself all in about 2 seconds as I stood on deck. I jumped in anyway.

We were quite a few miles out into Halong Bay on a clear September day and thankful for the respite after rainy days. We were far enough out so that Ha Long City, where we had set out from the day before was completely out of sight even if we were not surrounded; magnificent limestone islets like mountains rising out of liquid jade formed the panorama from where our boat laid anchor. Halong Bay is truly beautiful.

I believe I have a natural buoyancy superior to most people and as quickly as a thousand random thoughts, I surfaced. People who do deep sea diving tell me that the silence of the underwater has a magical calming effect. That calmness followed me as air met skin and sight was restored. I let the lovely waters cradle my completely relaxed person. My feet reached nowhere and I faced the sky. The magic stayed in Halong Bay but still I am grateful for the moment.

The geological facts about Halong Bay is astounding and certainly well-worth reading about to fully appreciate this wonderful spot on earth. You can read about these as well as the facts and figures in books and magazines and of course, there is also a great deal of information on the internet. I am sure there are some good documentaries too. For the magic, you have really got to be there.

Earlier in the day, we went out in little ‘sampan’ boats to a floating village and got to wear those distinctive conical rice hats. The guide pointed out that the four floating villages on Halong Bay together are home to close to 300 households. Mostly, the villagers depend on fishing and marine aquaculture for their livelihood. There are apparently bankers in the community too because we passed by a floating bank. Hopefully, the hard earned savings of the villages are safe from the elements.

Without dwelling on the topic, I feel I need to warn the unwary that there are some dodgy junk (the boat variety) operators on Halong Bay. I have heard of some really bad ones - dirty, dinghy and with cockroaches crawling out of the woodwork. We were booked on a nice one though. The Bhaya was a pretty decent lady and we had a fine dinner planned for our last evening on board. Looking out of the window in my cabin as I got dressed, I was disappointed that the great waterscape of the day had been swallowed by the darkness of the night. The mountains of Halong Bay were nowhere to be seen, as if to emphasize that they were uninhabited by humans and have been so since time began. Thank goodness there would be wine later on and I quickly reminded myself that not all things unseen do not exist.

I long to jump into those peaceful waters again. It is never easy to leave a beautiful place.