With only my whip and my wits, My inner Indiana Jones and I went exploring in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
The Vietnam air was hot, still, and thick with humidity. An occasional ray of sunshine broke through the morning haze, not yet burned off by the sun. Using the back of my worn leather gloves, I wiped the sweat from my brow, leaving a dirty smear across my forehead.
I finished the accent up the steep limestone cliffs, perched on a narrow ledge hundreds of feet above the sea. Behind a clump of small, wind-battered bushes, I found an opening in the dark stone. I pulled myself inside the mouth of a small tunnel.
I crept forward, slowly, carefully, the rock wearing through my gloves. The tunnel finally opened up and I stepped into a massive cavern, four stories high, with huge stalactites hanging from the limestone ceiling. The cavern extended far deeper than the amber glow from my oil lantern would illuminate.
I had only my wits and my whip. Searching for treasure not seen for a millennium, I combed over the rocky floor and scanned the walls for ancient clues. The strange texture of the cave walls reflected the dim light in odd angles as I crept along in my search.
The floor was uneven, with no signs of having been walked upon before. My footing suddenly gave way, and I plunged several…
Inches to the next step. Alright, I’m not Indiana Jones. Yet the Hang Sung Sot cave system at Ha Long Bay in Vietnam sure does inspire the adventurer in me. Although I would need a much cooler hat.
What could be buried deep in the cave system?
Certainly, at some point in time, priceless artifacts and antiquities must have been buried in these caves. Perhaps during one of the many Chinese occupations that have occurred here since Vietnam was first independent in 939.
This cave system was ‘discovered’ in 1901 by the French, but certainly, their existence had to be known to those who inhabited the area for eons before. Or maybe not. Had earlier explorers set foot in the cave, they left no evidence of their visit.
There are over 1900 small mountains in the region, jutting up from the sea floor. These limestone karsts developed over 20 million years in the tropical climate. I bet some are still unexplored. It is said that the karsts form a shape from above that resembles a ‘descending dragon’, or ‘Ha Long.’
This karst is one of the larger ones. Calling them mountains is quite generous, but most of their height is underwater. Most only reach a few hundred feet above the water, like massive, brush-covered stalagmites.
Our tour boat docked at the entrance to the site. Vietnam has turned the caves into a very popular tourist attraction. The water around the area is teeming with tour boats. We disembarked, punched our tickets, and began walking up the stairs that had been built into the rock.
After a short climb, I made it to the first landing. There was a nice view over the water. Several tour groups were there at once. As one big group stopped for their guide to speak, I made it past them and found myself a bit of open space on the path.
I continued on the path that had been built for tourists to safely navigate the caves. Lights have been installed, with the wiring hidden under painted cement.
The lights took away part of the adventure. As did the path and guide ropes. Part of me was quite disappointed.
Never underestimate the imagination of a big kid.
I wanted to go off the path and explore deeper into the cave. By torchlight. I could see caverns we were not supposed to venture down into. How deep did they go? What might lie in the dark depths of the earth? What might early humans have left in the bowels of the cave system?
Common sense made a rare appearance and I stayed on the path. Sigh. There had obviously been other people who had felt the same as I. Only English-speaking people?
I walked another couple hundred stairs and reached the top. My eyes were treated to an incredible view overlooking the bay. The view would have been better before tourism took over. The bay was filled with tour boats waiting for their passengers to finish their visit.
Just in case my imagination still thought I was Indiana Jones, the souvenir and drink stands brought that to a complete halt. No amount of imagination could overcome cheap plastic trinkets, stuffed dragons, shot glasses, and the like. I shrugged and bought an ice cream.
My descent down to the pier was uneventful. Lots of stairs and few railings, but no pitfalls or ancient curses or golden idols to thrill my imagination. Not one poisoned dart or massive rock boulder chased me down the side of the mountain.
Ha Long Bay was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The place is certainly worthy of recognition, and I plan on checking for more of these UNESCO sites as I travel.
I hope over-tourism doesn’t kill the beauty of this place. I think it already is. The air is thick with diesel fumes from the hundreds of boats that descend on the area daily.
Small cruise ships carry thousands of people to the area, pulling smaller boats to bring the passengers to shore. The water has plenty of garbage floating on the surface. Plastic and styrofoam. A shame.
I learned later on that the Vietnamese government has been cleaning up the water, and it is much better than it was. I was shown a picture from years before with twenty times the garbage floating in the sea.
After a night on board our fifty-passenger cruise ship, we ate a quick breakfast and piled into the small boat in two groups. We arrived at a large docking area and transferred to either kayaks or rice boats. We ventured into a small lagoon that was only accessible by going under a tunnel formed at the base of a large karst. At most there was 6 feet of clearance.
The lagoon was stunning. Sheer rock walls on all sides, reaching hundreds of feet into the sky. The water was cleaner and a calm shade of jade. I could have swam here if my kayak capsized.
One wall is home to a large group of monkeys. Not sure if they are actually native to the karsts or if they were moved here for the benefit of the tourists. The cynic in me would guess that the monkeys were brought here, as no other karst we sailed close to had any signs of monkey inhabitants.
We watched them play tag, and chill in the branches of small trees growing out of the rock. One monkey scored a banana thrown by a guide, which initiated a wild game of chase.
I paddled back to the dock area. The Indiana Jones part of me wanted to explore more, but brunch was waiting on the cruise ship.
Alright. My next adventure will have to wait. I was hungry, and besides, no Nazis were causing any trouble in the Hang Sung Sot caves in Ha Long Bay.
After brunch, we went swimming at a cool little beach area. Titop Beach is naturally formed but seems expanded for tourist purposes. The water was colder than I expected it to be, the sand was soft and covered in small shells.
I did not have the time required to climb to the top of the karst and visit the little temple built at the top. Beside a cell tower. Again, modern technology was putting a damper on my imagination.
Now, about that cooler hat…
With apologies to George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
If you enjoy the story please check out my other adventures. Travel is the greatest gift we give to ourselves.
Copyright 2024, Michael Williams. All rights reserved.
Some additional photos:
