Side Trip at Hải Dương Province

Hải Dương is a highly industrialized province in northern Vietnam where the country's manufacturing companies are located.  It is like Cavite Economic Zone in Luzon and MEPZ in Cebu.  When we had that long drive to Ha Long from Hanoi, we stopped by one of the province's factory, the Production Workshop for Disabled People.

As we entered the gate, a very big garden of statues welcomed us.  These are marble statues of various Buddhas, mythical creatures, and animals.

  
And as we entered the workshop, we saw disabled people busily doing their craft.  I always admire non-government organizations and local government units who take time in creating projects for the disabled people.  I believe that they have talents that should be recognized and potential to be maximized so kudos to Hải Dương for giving them importance and treating them like normal people.

  
They were making handmade art like painting, embroidery, eggshell mosaic, and even fine jewelry of genuine gold and stones.

Just like in Singapore Gems and Metals Company, you may also shop inside so you can bring some souvenirs home.  They ship to all corners of the world if you want the giant statues or other pottery to avoid breakage in hand-carrying them.  All you have to do is fill-in their form, pay the bill, and wait for the package to arrive in the convenience of your very own home.

But if you haven't bought any stuff, you may drop a few of your bills to share your blessings to the disabled people working in here.

Always stay tuned for more of Vietnam only here on The Other Side of Mae! :) #tosomtravels

  

Related Posts:

The Song of Hạ Long

Vịnh Hạ Long

Cruisin' Along Ha Long

Cruisin' Along Ha Long: Hang Sửng Sốt

Vietnam's Countryside 

Tweet

Cruisin' Along Ha Long: Hang Sửng Sốt

As promised yesterday, here's the second stop of our Ha Long Bay cruise - Sung Sot Cave or Hang Sửng Sốt, the "cave of surprises".  This is just one of the caves of Ha Long which is located in Bo Hòn Island.  Our boat anchored in a well-engineered pier compared with that of Vung Vieng which was our first stop.  (Click here for yesterday's post.)

It looked and seemed like we were somewhere in Europe so we didn't miss to have our photo taken though we were against the light.

Then we climbed into the cave's entrance through not-so-tiring-and-steep stairs.  Once we stepped inside the cave, we were wowed!  Being inside the cave was indeed a big surprise!

Sung Sot Cave is so wide that it can accommodate thousands of visitors in one setting.  I was reminded of our caving when I was still in college in Iligan where we literally crawled in cramped dark spaces.  In Sung Sot, the path is easy that we didn't even have to bend our backs just like what I did in Hoyop-Hoyopan Cave in Albay.

Sung Sot Cave is divided into two partitions.  The first chamber looks like a large theater hall with stalactites hanging like chandeliers from the high ceiling that glitter.  The colored lights just made their total effects in adding charm and beauty to the stone formations of the cave.

     
From the spacious first chamber, there's a narrow path leading to the second chamber.  A stream of natural light from an opening welcomes you here which can make you look like walking into heaven.

Then a small pond materializes with crystal clear and cold water.  The stalactites and stalagmites are really cold.  Temperature inside the cave could drop to 10 degrees Celsius (I presume) although it is very hot outside.  It felt like you're in a refrigerator once you get inside.  By the way, the stone formation in the photo below looks like a sea lion.  Other formations can also be seen like a giant horse, sword, and the very famous p3nl$ for naughty ones.

Before climbing up the stairs for the exit, you will be awed by the intricate structure of the stalactites and stalagmites.  It is as if God went down to hand-carve these masterpieces.  Indeed, we haven't seen God but we see His creation.  That just proves that God does really exist!

A View from Below

A View from Above

Once you get out from the cave at the highest point, a royal garden awaits you.  There you will see a magnificent view of the seascape, landscape, and skyscape.  The scenery is just rolled into one marvelous sight of nature, God's creation at its finest and bestest!  That only shows how amazing God is, sharing to us the wonders of His creation!

In walking down the stairs, you will also see banyan trees, other trees and plants I don't recognize, birds of different species, monkeys, and other creatures.  If you are a biologist, you'll surely enjoy catching a glimpse of the diverse organisms living in here.

    
And that ends our Ha Long Bay adventure.  One of our tour guides reprimanded us for taking too long in having selfies.  Hehe.....  Well, that's just how Filipinos are, picture2x!  Haha!

But then again, I apologize for not giving justice to the beauty of the scenery here for I don't know how to adjust my camera.  I still need to learn lighting and all.

Anyway, it's best to visit this world's wonder during April and May because cruises depend on weather conditions.  Take note, you can't enjoy the place if it is foggy and if the sea is not calm.  Also, opt for an overnight stay where you can enjoy more of Ha Long with sunrise and sunset.  Entrance fee to Sung Sot Cave is only 50,000 VND or 100 PhP.  

Stay tuned for more of Vietnam only here on The Other Side of Mae! :)  #tosomtravels

Related Posts:

The Song of Hạ Long

Vịnh Hạ Long

Cruisin' Along Ha Long

Side Trip at Hải Dương Province

Vietnam's Countryside 

Tweet

Cruisin' Along Ha Long

Cruises in Ha Long Bay start at the Bai Chay Tourist Wharf, a 3 to 4-hour drive from Hanoi.  If you are on a budget travel, you may hop into buses from Kim Ma Bus Station in Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hanoi to the pier.  This will only cost you 60,000 VND or 120 PhP but the journey can be uncomfortable.  I recommend this for foreigners who are after for adventure and don't recommend this for first-timers 'coz Vietnamese hardly speak and understand the English language.  You might get lost in directions.

However, there are also tour packages that could take you to Ha Long hassle-free.  There are plenty of cheap travel agencies in Old Quarter and it is safe to book there than to negotiate in the pier.  Just like some Filipinos, some Vietnamese can also deceive you in paying more than what the real cost is.  And in this tour, you'll be in a shuttle bus with other  more or less 25 tourists which can also be uncomfortable for a long drive.

But in our case, we hired a private car and a private guide when we were still here in Ozamiz through Rulyn's Travel Hub.  It doesn't cost an arm and a leg considering that it saved us a lot of time.  'Coz nowadays, we already need to buy convenience and comfort.  Agree?  Hehe.....

Now here we were!  There are hundreds of boats cruisin' along Ha Long from hundreds of operators.  So if you just got here by chance with no bookings yet, you can still do the cruise but then again, beware of the defrauders.  

Among the hundreds of boats, our tour package chose the White Dragon for our day tour.  It's just a small boat with a capacity of 25 people, just enough for one tour guide.  But in this trip, we had a total of 3 guides for 3 different groups including us as only a duo.

While sailing towards the enchanting karsts, sumptuous lunch is being served in the boat.  Just take a look at this heavenly feast for two!

Authentic Vietnamese cuisine which tasted really good as Vietnam is also known for its food goodness (that I'll be writing about soon).  Sad to say, we didn't devoured all this gluttonous lunch because we were already so full and we were also very excited for picture-taking with the islets.

Then we docked at Vung Vieng, our first stop.  There are two choices to choose from in this stop:  either you explore the bay further by kayak or by a rectangular-shaped boat rowed by a boatwoman.        

I chose the latter for I don't know how to kayak and Em2x got cold feet so she didn't join me.  The traditional fishing boat tour only costs 130,000 VND or 260 PhP per person anyway.

With me in the boat were 3 friendly Koreans who understand and speak English so it wasn't a lonesome ride for me.  They were also hippies who were game in taking my pictures and me to them as well.  Better see our fun boat ride here.

We went around the mystical seclusion of peace and quiet, the calm sea of Ha Long that is.  We got through from one cave to another, looking at the bats and avoiding their manure.  As a bonus, our boatwoman also captured our two perfect shots in the bay!

Annyeonghaseyo, my Korean friends! :)  Gamsahabnida for the fun boat ride we shared! :)

Ha Long Bay cruise ranges from 100,000 to 150,000 VND or 200 to 300 PhP (lunch excluded) depending on the stops of your choice.  For our second stop, stay tuned tomorrow only here on The Other Side of Mae! :)  #tosomtravels

Related Posts:

The Song of Hạ Long

Vịnh Hạ Long

Cruisin' Along Ha Long: Hang Sửng Sốt

Side Trip at Hải Dương Province

Vietnam's Countryside 

#tosomeats in Vietnam

Tweet

Vịnh Hạ Long

Finally, Hạ Long Bay or Vịnh Hạ Long, the star of the trip!  The sole reason I went to Vietnam!  Part of my bucket list (that, if I have any), a dream come true, a wish granted.  (All dreams do come true!  Hehe.....)  The UNESCO World Heritage Site that enthralled me to go to Vietnam 'coz you've never been to Vietnam if you haven't been to Hạ Long Bay!

Vịnh Hạ Long means "descending dragon bay".  According to legend, the gods sent a family of dragons to protect Vietnam from its invaders a long, long time ago.  The dragons spit jewels and jade thus forming more or less 2,000 limestone karsts and islets spreading into the sea.  These rocky mountains hindered the ships of the invaders to enter the country so the dragons won the fight.  When the battle was over, the dragons decided to settle in the sea and the mother dragon descended in the place called Hạ Long.  (Source:  Wikipedia)

The islets in Hạ Long were given names by various people from fishermen to famous ones.  Each has a story to tell, of magic and of beauty.  Comin' up is Joss Stick Island which is in the 200,000 VND banknote.  The island stands like a joss stick signifying spiritually and people's belief of gods.

If there's a joss stick, of course there's also the Incense Burner.  It's a lone island with feet just like a real joss stick pot.

Next are the Fighting Cocks.  They really look like two cocks about to brawl which is a game of gambling among Asians, taking a big part of their past-time.

    

Take a closer look at the next photo.  Can you guess what it is?  It looks like a frog, right?  That's the Toad Islet!

Now, who let the dogs out?  Arf arf arf......  A dog climbing up the mountain.  Below is the Stone Dog!

That's only a few of the islets I had managed to know the names of via our tour guide.  I couldn't name all 2,000 islets just like in the other photos that follow.

And these are the "gorgeous jewels in an emerald sea"!  Finally, I had gone into the footsteps of Sandra Brown, The Travelers, and other Lonely Planet correspondents.  But the photos shown here do not give justice on how breathtaking and picturesque Hạ Long Bay is.  I still need to learn how to harness my point-and-shoot photography skill, that if I have.  Hehe.....  I still don't know how to use my camera which has been my travel partner for almost three years already.  Huhu.....

Watch out tomorrow for our Hạ Long Bay cruise!  Just stay tuned here on The Other Side of Mae! :) #tosomtravels 

         

Related Posts:

The Song of Hạ Long

Cruisin' Along Ha Long

Cruisin' Along Ha Long: Hang Sửng Sốt

Side Trip at Hải Dương Province

Vietnam's Countryside 

Tweet

The Song of Hạ Long

Here's only a snippet of our Hạ Long Bay adventure, northeast of Vietnam!

Log on to The Other Side of Mae tomorrow for photos and stories on how magical Hạ Long Bay is!  #tosomtravels

Related Posts:

Vịnh Hạ Long

Cruisin' Along Ha Long

Cruisin' Along Ha Long: Hang Sửng Sốt

Side Trip at Hải Dương Province

Vietnam's Countryside 

Tweet

Vietnam's Countryside

As depicted in Thăng Long Water Puppet Show, Vietnam's main livelihood is agriculture with its vast lands and fishing with its numerous rivers.  As we went our way to Ha Long Bay, we saw boundless rice fields as expansive and as far as our eyes could see. 

  
It's also part of the Vietnamese culture to bury the dead owner of the land to his very own land.  So don't be surprised that there are gravestones dotting the wide rice fields.  As our tour guide, Tun joked, "That's why Vietnamese rice is delicious".  "Because you use human fertilizer," I added.  Hehe.....

Sole Gravestones in Meters Apart

A Family Estate

Fresh produce line up the highways and private cars can just pull over to buy.  That's Tun buying watermelon for his wife and cute little boy.

Rivers flow abundantly in Vietnam.  Aside from farming, fishing also takes a big part of the locals' livelihood. Though we haven't visited a river market, let me use my sissy April's photos when she went to Ho Chi Minh City last February.

Watch out for our Ha Long Bay adventure tomorrow only here on The Other Side of Mae! :) #tosomtravels

Related Posts:

The Song of Hạ Long

Vịnh Hạ Long

Cruisin' Along Ha Long

Cruisin' Along Ha Long: Hang Sửng Sốt

Side Trip at Hải Dương Province

#tosomeats in Vietnam

Tweet