Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Halong Bay, Vietnam
Most probably one of the world most beautiful natural site. A UNESCO World Heritage site since 1994.
A couple of thousands islets spread around some 1500 square kilometers of the emerald water of the Gulf of Tonkin. These thousands limestone pillars and isles of various sizes and shapes are all around, disappearing in the distance in the mist in a mysterious atmosphere.
The legend of the dragon
Local legend has it that long ago, when the Vietnamese were fighting Chinese invaders, the gods sent a family of dragons to help defend the land. This family of dragons began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets dotting the bay, linking together to form a great wall against the invaders. The people kept their land safe and formed what later became the country of Vietnam. After that, dragons were interested in peaceful sightseeing of the Earth and decided to live here then. The place where Mother Dragon flew down was named Hạ Long, the place where the dragon children attended upon their mother was called Bai Ti Long island, and the place where the dragon children wriggled their tails violently was called Bach Long Vi island.
