08 Dec. 2011: THE CAVES OF HA LONG BAY #2 of 5

Ha Long Bay's limestone ("karst") islands are peppered with caves of all shapes and sizes. There's Cave of Wooden Stakes, so named because that's where a 13th century war general hid sharp bamboo to impale the invading Mongols. And Drum Grotto, because when the wind blows through the many stalagmites and stalactites, the effect is distant drumbeats. Surprise Cave has 3 chambers discovered by French explorers in 1904, who were very surprised as each of the 3 got larger and larger. The largest is probably bigger than the domed stadium in Texas. It features a pink-lit "man organ" which has become a fertility symbol. The walking trail and lighting is really well done. But the area was so big my camera couldn't focus way into the distance. Pat noticed that moss grew where moisture met the floodlights!  And can you see the dragon writhing on the ceiling? The whole up-and-down climb is an amazing extra to the magic of the scene outside.