The first time I stepped onto Halong (Descending Dragons) Bay I was amazed by the limestone islets moored in the sea. They looked like a vision out of Pandora - an imaginative country in the movie Avatar. On my second visit to Halong Bay, I felt the same way, and also same again on this my third trip.
I stood on the deck of Emeraude gazing at the limestone islets with different shapes that we passed and left behind. From time to time, some wooden boats appeared out of nowhere and then disappeared into thin air before I had a chance to see the faces of the passengers. The sky wasn’t as blue as I expected but at least it was sunny and breezy. I noticed that many other guests also joined me on the deck, although they could view the fascinating landscape of the bay from their own cabin.
During the two-day cruise on Emeraude, our activities were not only limited to the ship but we also had a chance to visit the Surprise Cave with beautiful and mysterious stalactites and stalagmites, and the educational pearl farm. While I was perched on the ship’s deck to indulge in the beauty and serenity of the bay, other guests were paddling into the sunset.
Sunrise in the bay was exceptionally beautiful when the sun itself slowly made its appearance from behind the limestone islets. I sat down in the lotus position to greet the first sunlight and let it touch me gently and kindly.
After a sedentary cruise on the bay, we decided to climb Mount Bai Tho (Mount Poem) not long after landing. The entrance to the trail of the mountain was shockingly funny. Phuong, our local friend, was walking past the street-front houses when she suddenly stopped and seemed to look for something. “Here it is,” she yelled, turning toward a tiny and dim alley between the two houses. “What?! Are you kidding? Is this the way to Mount Bai Tho?” We all looked at each other in puzzlement and then burst out laughing.
After walking past some houses in the alley, we stopped at a closed gate. I thought we took the wrong turn but when one of us pushed the gate open, we found ourselves in someone’s front yard with a barking dog. We sneaked to the back of the house to find a narrow way leading up a staircase to the mountain. After about 45 minutes climbing steps covered with goat’s poo, we reached the 100-meter-high Bai Tho to witness a splendid 360 degree panoramic view of Halong Bay.
The sun was setting on the sea, painting a part of the waters with its shiny golden color. “I wish we could stay longer. Maybe I have to come back here some day to greet the sun rising up behind those limestone islets,” I told Phuong before we climbed down the mountain.