Halong Bay

Our last night in Halong Bay we went to a show. It was supposed to be a dolphin show but the huge tourist park we went to was seriously lacking in animals. So, it ended up being a laser show complete with huge sprinklers, bursts of flame, and gigantic neon dragons. Very intense. At one point they projected a movie onto the spray of water. The movie told a traditional legend for how the bay was made.

There was a princess (of course) who had two suitors. One was from the mountains and he had the power to raise earth. The other was from the Sea. He rode a green dragon and had power over the water. The princess and Mountain Suitor fell in love (lets assume) and married. This angered the Sea Suitor. He rode his dragon and raised the level of the sea and sent huge waves toward the land to wipe away the people. The Mountain Suitor (now husband) rushed to protect the people, and his bride, by raising high mountains to block the waves and the progress of the sea. He threw a huge stone on the Sea Suitor that destroyed him and his dragon alike (this was a fantastic scene in the little movie). Only the tops of these mountains can be seen, jutting fantastically out of the water, in Halong Bay.

We went out on a junk while we were there. A shiny lacquered wooden boat that creaked and swayed. Sitting atop it and driving in and out of these limestone islands, surrounded in mist, it was easy to believe in magic and legend.