 We
arrived in Hanoi after a long and tiring trip in
Sapa, we spent a few days in Hanoi and took a 2 day
tour to Halong Bay.
The drive to about 180 kilometers away from Hanoi,
Halong Bay takes you past endless rice fields and
the field of Vietnamese coal-mining. Here the
streets are sometimes black from the dust of the
coal, and in some places the coal is also called
"manual mode" smelted in small plants, operated
directly on the street, from one or two men.
The Port of Halong is full of pleasure boats that
will take visitors to the limestone cliffs. To that
end we pass some distance transport heavily laden
barges. The sky consists of a dense cloud cover,
it's foggy - and now and then a slight fall from the
sky. the boats, all decorated with a dragon head
figurehead, almost empty.
Our first destination, the island's
Hang Sung Sot
-
the "Amazing cave" a two-high dense rock formation,
somewhat larger than the neighboring islands. And
smooth - - stone steps to the entrance of the grotto
where we go ashore, the steep climb. 30 meters high
the ceiling of this "underground cathedral" is
"supported" by a mighty stalactite pillars, now lit
up in all sorts of psychedelic colors. There are
aisles and "vault", and an entire village would find
comfortable shelter.
Nexe our ship cruise to a "floating fishing
village", a village consisting of interconnected
life-boats in which fishermen and their families are
in the long run. There is even a school here. But in
any case, here are is a floating fish farm between
the islands. In the underwater cages that hang
between the bars, arm-length romp just a few fish
still enjoy their lives. This fish farm is visited
mainly by Japanese and Koreans who eat the fish
raised here also like raw.
We stopped at Vung Vieng, a floating village, and we
get four of each order in small
boats. Local women to row us close to the dwellings.
About 300 people live in Halong
Bay in floating villages. It may look quiet, almost
every house has a veranda with a
hammock scurry, dogs around on the platforms, in
between playing children or
men-fishing. But as in the Hmong in the mountains,
the idyll is deceptive. Even
here, people struggle to survive, because the income
from fishing and tourism are
not very profitable, is also their habitat due to
increased shipping and marine
pollution threat.
We cruise past a series of rocky islands, which are
like a cord strung together in the water, now in the
mist only in its outlines visible, then turn to take
back to the mainland.
Before we drive back to Hanoi, we pass through the
tourist area of Halong city, this is actually no
more than a beach promenade, some hotels and
restaurants, but now seem to have only a few guests. |
