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In the early-morning mist, a small fishing skiff plies the karst-decorated waters of Ha Long Bay.
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Hi, Wilson.
Vietnam is a country with stunning land forms, and one of the most engaging areas is Ha Long Bay, with its karst formations.
Karst topography is a landscape formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It has underground drainage systems, sinkholes and caves. In Northern Vietnam's large Ha Long Bay, karst formations have created a virtual labyrinth that confused boaters in what might be considered an inland archipelago. This led to some aspects of Ha Long bay not being discovered until foreign explorers arrived.
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A partial map of Ha Long bay, with pearl farms noted in red
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After our medical mission ended, our team cruised Ha Long Bay for some R&R.
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There's plenty of rain here to wear down the karsts and cap them with vegetation.
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In this old landscape, the lines in this rocky island suggest uplift and tilting of the rock.
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Ha Long Bay afforded passage to cruise ships, fishing vessels and this strange craft.
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This conical island offered some beach time, and also a hiking route to the top...
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. . . where the adventurous could ascend to find a traditional pagoda by the navigation/radio tower.
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Surprise Cave
Ha Long bay offered up some special treasures. One of them was Hang Sửng Sốt, (English translation -- "Suprise Cave.") Sometimes you don't get to ask follow-up questions with guides, so I have to go on recollection: I believe this was discovered not by locals, who had enough trouble not getting lost in the bay, but by foreign explorers. The pictures that follow speak for themselves.
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No-one said much about this well-illuminated formation, but how could you not notice?
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The photographer in the photo provides a sense of scale.
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As we emerged from Surprise Cave we found ourselves overlooking the karst next door.
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Following the cavern tour, members of our medical team kayaked through this grotto . . .
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. . . to discover a lagoon totally enclosed by karst topography.
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At the dock, this gentleman is about to receive a lecture on a soccer ball that doesn't go flat.
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After our tour, and before we settled in for the night, we spotted a very deflated soccer ball being kicked around on a dock where boats had collected. How poetic. Not in a rustic Vietnamese village with limited infrastructure, but right in the resort-bay where the rich play I could find a soccer ball that was flat. One more opportunity to promote the One World Futbol!
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Morning: Rain clouds, mists and karsts conjure up thoughts of Chinese ink brush paintings.
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Returning to Hanoi, we stopped at the cultured pearl factory, where oysters plucked from Ha Long Bay are repurposed from cuisine to jewelry factory. This industry dates to 1893, when a Japanese man, Kokichi Mikimoto, created the first cultured pearls, offering the option of gems that were more uniform in size and more spherical in shape.In the photo below, the "surgery" to culture the pearls is going on. Sorry --those large black spheroids in the background, while rich in color, and impressively regular, are obviously rejects, too big to string.
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One oyster after another was impregnated, assembly line style.
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The oyster is clamped, gently coaxed open, and impregnated, kinda.
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Samples of cultured pearls on display
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As regular in fashion as the pearls are in shape, a line of young women in blue hope for buyers.
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Well, Wilson, that almost concludes my posts on Vietnam. We have a couple more. Tomorrow, I'll provide a quick look at the popular mode of transportation in Vietnam. And then I'll sign off with the photos I like which, for whatever reason, didn't make the blog until now.
So Until Tomorrow..
Love,
Robert and Jean Baptiste.
Tomorrow: A song from the 60's applied to Viet Nam
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Ha Long Bay on a pristine day
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