Otherworldly Ha Long Bay

The sky was overcast on the day we arrived at Ha Long Bay after a 4-hour bus ride from Hanoi, but even the gray clouds couldn’t dim the stunning natural beauty of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Nearly 2000 limestone karsts (a topographical feature formed by the dissolution of limestone over millions of years), covered by verdant rainforests, rise in ethereal majesty out of the jade green waters of the bay. The karsts range in size from tiny outcroppings to towering pillars and small islets. 

Ha Long Bay is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. Each day, it receives 10,000 visitors. However, only 200 boats are permitted to stay on the water overnight. Our OAT group eagerly boarded the Bien Ngoc 18, a wooden junk-rigged sailboat built in the antique style. We would be the sole passengers on the vessel for the next 20 hours. 

Our boat, the Bien Ngoc (Sea Pearl) 18

We clearly were not the only boat in the bay!

Up on deck 

We spent the afternoon cruising the bay, marveling at the constantly changing scenic views and taking endless photos. 

After lunch (a multi-course meal that included prawns with ginger and lime, and chicken with passion fruit sauce), we set out in a smaller boat for Sung Sot Cavern, the largest of Ha Long Bay’s grottoes. 

On the hollow islet where the cavern is located, we walked up 721 steps just to reach the cavern entrance. Once inside, we walked through a wonderland of stalagmites, stalactites and other dramatic rock formations. 

The entrance to the cavern up on the side of the karst

The stunning view when we reached the entrance to the cavern

Walking inside the cavern

Red light called attention to the phallic shaped rock formation on the left 

Later, in the afternoon, back on the Bien Ngoc 18, our boat’s chef gave us an impressive demonstration of his knife skills, turning humble vegetables into exquisite flowers and an intricate net. 

A thick carrot became a net that later garnished a dinner dish! 

Dinner was another excellent meal of Vietnamese specialties, highlighted by grilled oysters. The long afternoon hike had left me pleasantly tired and I was ready for bed as soon as I finished dinner. The boat’s cabins were surprisingly spacious and modern, and the beds quite comfortable. The waters in the bay were calm, and the gentle rocking of the boat quickly lulled me to sleep.

The next morning, hoping to see the sun rise over the water, I slipped out of bed early and went up on deck. A silvery haze had settled on the nearby boats and karsts. Although light was gathering in the sky, there was no sign of the sun. I spent a good half hour gazing out in all directions, enjoying the silence and the sensation of being unmoored – not only untethered from the land but disconnected from my own life. This is what I had sought when I planned this trip for the month of February. I needed to put distance between myself and my memories from three years ago. 

As I reflected in the dawn silence of Ha Long Bay, my thoughts inevitably returned to Elliott and the events of February 2016. The sorrow that will never leave my heart seemed transformed into an overflowing sense of gratitude – for the years we shared, for the family we created, and for the joie de vivre Elliott continues to inspire in me, especially here in this place of otherworldly beauty.