January 11, 2003 - page 2

When we finally reached Ha Long, it was easy to tell it was on the sea. I guess there’s a universal smell and nature of ocean towns. The boat we boarded was a little unsteady at first, but then I realized that the operators knew more about what they were doing than I could ever hope to. The bay was full of boats, all beautiful and made of dark shiny wood.

Many headed out with us to visit the Cave of the Fairies, a beautiful grotto carved by water out of the stone mountains. After a quick change of boats, now we find ourselves on our way to Cat Ba Island where we’ll stay the night. The hope is to make it in time to see the sunset from the beach.

It’s so unreal how these rocks jut up from the ocean all around us. They take all different shapes and sizes and many are named for the things they resemble. I’ve just now seen where the water has worn away the underside of one of the cliffs and you can see straight through the bottom to the other side. It’s easy to see why this is one of the top places on the United Nations’ World Heritage list. How interesting that there are so many people who live on these waters, seemingly oblivious to the wonders around them. But I guess when one grows up with something, the wonder has a tendency to wane.

We’ve been so lucky, Diep says. The weather is usually very rainy, but we’ve had gorgeous sunshine so far. Here’s hoping it stays this nice.