.jpg) Orange Sand
The sensual curves of Dune 40 in the Namib Desert flow over the gravel plains below: ever-changing in the light, ever-shifting in the winds. It was another 4:00am wakeup call: we were expected to break camp before 5:00am so we could drive back into Namib-Naukluft National Park and catch the sunrise colours over the sand dunes near Sossusvlei.
Sleep, as they say, is over rated.
We were aiming for Dune 40 – 40 kilometres past the Sesriem gates on the road to Sossusvlei, Namibia. Dune 45 is the more famous one, with a carpark sitting right at its base, but Dune 40 was less likely to be crowded with tourists climbing to the top before the sun came up.
The Namibian dunes are like living things: with a still, enduring character, but with a personality that changes with every flick of the wind or shift of the light. They tell a long, long story of time and flow; of millions of years spent growing and flowing – one spec of sand at a time.
The Namib Desert stretches its gravel plains 200 km (124 mi) from a high inland plateau in the east to meet the Atlantic Ocean. Winds from the ocean bring fog – the desert gets more of its moisture from fog than it does from the very sporadic rainfall – and sand. Over the eons, this sand has formed into towering sand dunes which are the among the highest in the world. Their colour is a sign of their great age: as the iron in the sand oxidises, it turns burnt orange, like rusty metal. The older the dune, the more concentrated the colour.
I was travelling in a small group with photographer Ben McRae, Pedro Ferrão Patrício from Photoburst, and Namibian guide Morne Griffiths; we were chasing the light on the waves of sand, and following them to the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
.jpg) Pre Dawn in the Dunes
Before the sun was fully up, our truck was parked at the side of the road and we were crossing the hard, flat ground towards the still-dark dunes on the horizon with our tripods in tow. .jpg) Photographers at Dune 40
By the time the sky lightens, photographers are dotted all around the grounds.  Sun Rising on Dune 40
The sky remained uncharacteristically overcast and hazy, so the colours on the sands were muted and subtle. Bold Shadows
The morning light slants acutely across the dunes, filling the dips in the sand with shadow. Light over the Dunes
There were moments when the sun broke through the high cloud and set the the sand and shrubs alight. Dune 40 Up Close Trees on the Edge
It’s hard to believe anything can grow in the dunes, but the odd camel thorn trees (vachellia erioloba) seem to manage. Sweeps and Curves Trees on the Dunes Ostrich (Struthio Camelus) Namib-Naukluft National Park
The mountains rise up in the distance as we drive back out of the National Park. Old Pumps
We stopped in Solitaire, a small settlement near the entrance to the park. (iPhone6) Old Car
In the sandy centre of the settlement – decorated by cactus and old cars – the gas station, post office, and general store service the crossroads. The bakery, with it’s good German heritage, cooks up the best apple strudel I’ve had in a very long time. (iPhone6) Cape Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis Nitens)
Birds gather outside the restaurant, hoping for crumbs. Rock and Bush
Following another gravel road, the C14 northwest of Solitaire, we crossed the dry Kuiseb River bed and climbed the mountain on the other side. We stopped at the Carp Cliff Viewpoint overlooking the Kuiseb Canyon and climbed the rest of the rocky knoll on foot. It amazes me how vegetation can cling to the exposed cliff-top. Limestone Pile on Carp Cliff
The upheaval of time has left limestone slabs slanting sideways out of the ground … Marble Steps
… while harder rocks like quartz and marble sit like stepping stones on the windswept cliff. Ground Agama (Agama Aculeate)
This little lizard – I think it’s a ground agama – was almost invisible against the background litter. Baby Dunes
As we get close to the Atlantic Ocean and the coastal city of Walvis Bay, we can see “baby dunes” all around us. The dominant winds here are from the south-west, and strong enough to carry sand and even small pebbles. As a consequence, the dunes are constantly growing and shifting. (iPhone6) Walvis Bay Home
The wide streets into the city are lined with neatly landscaped, architecturally designed, homes. (iPhone6) Low-Cost Housing
They are a stark contrast to the rows of tiny, low-cost houses on the other side of Walvis Bay. (iPhone6) Flamingos on Walvis Bay
The ocean outside the peninsula of Pelican Point near Walvis Bay is renowned to surfers for its waves, but it is the flamingos that draw people to the inner bay. Flamingos on the Bay
Flocks of lesser and greater flamingos gather here to feed. To be honest, I can’t tell them apart; … Flamingo and Skyline
… I just love how they catch the light, and how their leggy stance mirrors the industrial cranes behind them. Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra Avosetta)
Flamingos aren’t the only bird who feed here: avocets are among the water birds who winter in the southern parts of Africa. Hohenzollernhaus
The coastal city of Swakopmund (“Mouth of the Swakop”) is rich with the neo-baroque architecture of its German colonial heritage. (iPhone6) Holiday Haven
Just 70 km north of Swakopmund, the holiday settlement and fisherman’s haven of Henties Bay has a much more casual feel. (iPhone6) The Skeleton Coast
Our last stop on the Atlantic was the Skeleton Coast, north of the Swakop River. Originally named for the whale and seal bones that scattered the area in the days of whaling, this stretch of water is also home to over a thousand ships which have come to grief because of hidden reefs and sand dunes, strong crosscurrents, heavy swells and dense fogs. The Zeila
We were there to photograph the most recent wreck: the Zeila, a fishing boat that was stranded on August 25th, 2008. Cormorants Roosting
This wreck has long since been stripped of any useful metal, and now serves as a resting place for cormorants.
After spending time with the winds and the waves on the Atlantic Coast, we turned back into the desert, this time to the northerly part, with its clear skies (see: A Sky Full of Stars) and dramatic rocky outcrops (see: Morning over Spitzkoppe), leaving the ocean and the sand dunes behind us.
Until next time,
Happy Travels!
Photos: 12-13August2015
Posted in Africa,Architecture,Landscapes,Namibia,TravelTags: architecture,bird,blog,desert,drive,driving,landscape,Namib desert,Namib-Naukluft,Namibia,National Park,Photo Blog,road trip,ship wreck,travel,Travel Blog,Ursula Wall
Dreamtime Goanna
In Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime stories, totem animals are central. These spiritual animals – like the goanna depicted here by a member of the Excelsior Dance Troupe – are often represented in music, art, and dance. Australia is home to the world’s oldest living culture.
Indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are complex and diverse, dating back at least 50,000 years. As distinctive as these groups are from each other and from other indigenous populations around the world, they share a number of issues related to maintaining cultural traditions in a modern, changing world. Many of these struggles have related to land rights and self-determination in the face of the arrival of a more dominant group.
According the the Australian government: “… Indigenous communities keep their cultural heritage alive by passing their knowledge, arts, rituals and performances from one generation to another, speaking and teaching languages, protecting cultural materials, sacred and significant sites, and objects.”
In practice, keeping traditions alive and relevant, especially in urban communities, is much more difficult than the official line makes it sound. So, community leaders can learn a lot from each other in forums that allow for the exchange of ideas between aboriginal groups from around the world. This is why cross-cultural festivals, like Boomerang, are so important.
Boomerang, “a New World Indigenous Festival for all Australians”, seeks to provide a space for indigenous artists, thinkers and activists to get together to celebrate culture and share ideas. First held in 2013, the inaugural festival attracted over 5000 attendees who “engaged with the music, art, dance, painting, film, discussion and cultural exchanges of our first nation people from around the world.” It was meant to be an annual event, and we had tickets to attend in 2015, but it lost funding and was cancelled that year.
So, I was excited to hear that – thanks to the collaboration between friends Rhoda Roberts (Director: Boomerang Festival) and Peter Noble (Director: Bluesfest Byron Bay) –Boomerang was to share time and space with Bluesfest Byron Bay 2016.
Arakwal Opening Ceremony
Byron Bay (Cavenbah) has always been an important meeting place for the Arakwal, neighbouring clans who’s ancestors have lived in the Byron Bay area for at least 22,000 years. As part of Bluesfest 2016, Arakwal dancers, musicians and storytellers introduce the broader audience to some local stories. Arakwal Women Dancing
The Arakwal clan totem is Kabul, the carpet snake, and the women’s totem is the dolphin: both of which can be seen represented in the women’s patterned tights. East Journey Under Lights
Bridging Aboriginal culture and more modern music, East Journey, from Arnhem Land in the vast wilderness that is the northeast corner of Australia, combine tradition Aboriginal sounds with rock and reggae. Emma Donovan
Indigenous singer-songwriter Emma Donovan comes from a rich musical tradition: long before she was born, her mother, Agnes Donovan, sang for The Donovans, a band comprised of Agnes’ parents and five brothers. Emma’s uncles continued as the Donovan Brothers band, and she first sang in public with them at age seven. Her cousin, Casey Donovan, the youngest-ever winner of Australian Idol, is know to musical-theatre goers: we saw her recently as Killer Queen in the current run of “We Will Rock You”.
Emma has Naaguja, Yamatji, Danggali and Gumbaynggirr tribal heritage, often writing her songs of urban aboriginal life in the traditional language of the Gumbaynggirr. Archie Roach
Archie Roach is one of the grand masters of Australian music. He met his future wife, lifelong partner and musical soulmate Ruby Hunter, when they were both homeless teenagers. Both were part of Australia’s infamous ‘Stolen Generation’, having been taken away from their families at an early age. These, and other experiences of being marginalised and living rough, informed their song-writing.
Ruby Hunter died of a heart attack in 2010, aged 54. Archie has survived lung cancer and a stroke to keep on telling the heart-rending stories of his people. Rako Pasefika
Based in Rotuma, a volcanic island in Fiji, Rako Pasefika is a group of performers with backgrounds as diverse as the island itself. Their singing and dance styles, ukulele playing, log drumming, and traditional chanting draw from the whole region, including Cook Islands, Tahiti, Hawaii, Fiji, Tonga and Rotuma. Rako Pasefika
Rotuma is at the crossroads of the Micronesian, Melanesian and Polynesian cultures; Rako Pasefika features artists of indigenous Rotuman, Fijian and Pacific Island heritage. Rako Pasefika
“Rako” literally translates as “to learn” and the group embodies the organic process of Pacific learning through listening, experiencing, collaboration, and exchange. Rako Pasefika
This collective of artists bring stories of their islands to life through song, music and dance. The recent devastation wrought by Tropical Cyclone Winston and the disastrous effects of climate change featured in their story-telling. Rako Pasefika
As artisans of the Pacific, they also practice and teach traditional knowledge including bark cloth (Tapa/ Masi) printing, making coconut sinnet (Magi magi) and weaving. These skills are reflected in their costuming. Excelsior Dance Troupe
An ensemble fusing modern dance with Indigenous dance, “eXcelsior” members are of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Island descent. Tenzin Choegyal
Singer-songwriter Tenzin Choegyal creates original music which expresses his cultural heritage in the contemporary context. He opened his set with Safe Passage (which accompanies this post), a prayer-song based on the 8th Century classic text: The Tibetan Book of the Dead. This lament-like song prays for the consciousness to have a safe journey to the next world. “Little Bird”
In his song, “Little Bird”, Tenzin asks a bird to carry a message of hope to his birthplace, Tibet. Born to a nomadic family, Tenzin escaped the Chinese occupation with his family in the early 1970s and grew up in a Tibetan refugee community in Dharamsala, India. He came to Australia in 1997, with little more than his lute-like Dranyen and his passion for communicating through music. (Double click for Safe Passage from the album Heart Strings by Tenzin Choegyal)
Rako Dancers
On the last day of the festival, I rejoined the Rako Pasifika to enjoy their enthusiasm, … Rako Dancer
… their grace, … Rako Dancers
… their power, … Rako Dancer
… and their beauty. Rako Dancers and Musicians Rako Dance Lesson
After they finished their performance, the musicians and dancers of Rako Pasifica invited the audience to learn one of the dances and it’s meaning. Girls in the Middle
A lot of people gave it a try, but it was the joy on the young participants’ faces that gave me hope… Girls Learning
… for it is activities like this that allow the ongoing learning and sharing of cultural traditions. I have mixed feelings about how well the two festivals integrated: it was wonderful to see many top-notch Indigenous artists on the Bluesfest main stages, and it was great to be able to drop in and out of Boomerang activities, but I can’t help wondering if the Boomerang performances were not overshadowed by the bigger names near by, and if the serious discussions that were part of the schedule were not made more difficult by the booming sounds of mainstream music. I also felt sorry for the dancers who continued in the pounding rains, while I – and many, many other festival-goers – crowded under the tent awnings to escape the elements.
Even so, I certainly took many good things away from what little I saw, and I hope the participants did also.
“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.”
– Victor Hugo
Pictures: 24-28March2016
Posted in Australia,Dance,Indigenous,Music,PerformanceTags: aboriginal,culture,dance,dancer,environmental portrait,environmental portraits,indigenous,music,people,Photo Blog,travel,Travel Blog,Ursula Wall
Tullamore Dew
The barrels are empty and the doors are closed – it’s a rainy afternoon in Tullamore, Co Offaly, Ireland. (Double click to start Tullamore Blues by Irish Mythen)
It’s a small world, right?
We were at the Byron Bay Bluesfest (Back to the Roots) recently. On the Saturday, we walked into the Delta tent to hear the delightful celtic accent and the cheeky, cackling laughter of Irish Mythen, a singer-songwriter born and raised in County Wexford and now based in Canada’s tiny Prince Edward Island.
She was talking about her mother’s hometown of Tullamore in County Offaly in the middle of Ireland. I looked at my husband – yes, we’ve been there!
We were on our way to Dublin (The Guinness Storehouse), zig-zagging across the country from the Connemara (Glimpses of Galway), stopping at sites from the Michelin Guide that took my fancy along the way (Ireland).
On the day in question, we had spent the morning at the ruins of a centuries-old monastery (Clonmacnoise) and a lived-in castle (Birr Castle), and we were looking for the home of the world-famous Irish whiskey, Tullamore Dew, to round out the afternoon. Unfortunately, the distillery was closed – renovations or holidays; I can’t remember why – leaving us rather downcast.
Not as downcast as Mythen with her “Tullamore Blues”, mind you, but we did have to go back to the drawing board and the guide book! A quick check of the maps and the guide, and we pointed the car north again, driving to another maker of Irish whiskey, Locke’s Distillery in Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath.
I’m sure it tasted just as good!
Locke’s Distillery Crystal
As well as producing world-class whiskey, Ireland is known for its crystal (eg.: Waterford). It is only fitting then that awards for excellence and commemorative glasses be made from local blown and carved lead glass. Old Distillery Machinery
The licence to distill whiskey here dates to 1757; the pot still distillery and machinery is over 250 years old. A self-guided tour takes visitors along heavy wooden walkways through the dark buildings and old machinery. Steam Engine
Power to the distillery used to come exclusively from an old water wheel; the steam engine was put into place in the 1880s for the occasions when water levels were too low, or the water wheel needed repair. Old Distillery Machinery Drive Shaft
This old drive shaft turned all the machinery in the distillery. Until the 1880s when the steam engine was installed, the water wheel was its sole source of power. Old Distillery Machinery The Distillery Surrounds
Water – both as an ingredient, as a source of power- is essential to whiskey production. The Kilbeggan Distillery sits near the River Brosna and draws water from there. Old Pot Still
Traditional Irish whiskey from Kilbeggan was made by the slow and costly single-pot still method. Copper Pot Still
The copper stills were filled with barley mash and fires – originally fuelled by local turf, and later by imported coal – were lit underneath. Copper Pot Still
Alcohol evaporates at a lower temperature than water, so with steady heat the alcohol condensed. Barrels
Although most Kilbeggan Whiskey is now produced at the Cooley Distillery in County Louth, there were plenty of barrels on site here. Customs and Excise “Office”
By Irish law, every distillery must have a permanent “office” for when the Revenue Officer choses to visit. From the Inside
New buildings are set back from the old originals; workers are scattered around the site. New Distillery Machinery
Cooley bought Kilbeggan and the associated brands in 1988 and installed a new copper pot still in 2007 to mark the 250th anniversary of the Old Kilbeggan Distillery. Kilbeggan Casks
All Irish whiskey must mature for a minimum of 3 years and 1 day, although many whiskies are much older. The oak casks are bought from US bourbon producers like Jack Daniels (A Shot of Jack). Spirits Receiver Room The Gift Shop Kilbeggan Delivery Van Police Officer
The police were outside on the road when we returned to our car with the samples we had bought. What a good thing we hadn’t participated in a “tasting” while still on site! Polishing Pewter
If you are going to drink Irish whiskey, perhaps you need a traditional utensil to put it in: the next morning we continued north to Mullingar to visit the Bronze and Pewter Works. Polished Pewter Goblets Polishing Pewter
The pile of shavings left behind shows how much of the pewter gets wasted; I’m not sure if it can be re-used. Packing Pewter
Paddy Collins revived the traditional craft of pewter making here in 1974, and his son Peter now runs the business. They ship product all over the world, keeping the small staff busy. Traditional Celtic Design
The old designs and old methods are used – although modern pewter is entirely lead-free.
Naturally we had to pick up a few pewter pieces to go with our Irish whiskey…
That will chase the blues away! 😉
Sláinte!
To your very good health!
Photos: 04-05July2012
Posted in Craft,Ireland,TravelTags: arts and crafts,blog,Ireland,Photo Blog,travel,Travel Blog,Ursula Wall,whiskey,whisky
Falls on the Little Duck River
The prehistoric Native-American ceremonial mound site in Manchester Tennessee, erroneously called “Old Stone Fort” by early European settlers, is almost completely surrounded by beautiful waterways – which probably contributed to its selection as a sacred site. (18May2015) Tennessee is in the middle of “The South”; Middle Tennessee is – as you’d expect – in the middle of the state; and the area south of Nashville is – more or less – “the middle” of the middle.
Middle Tennessee Barn
Whether the barns are weathered and worn …
Rutherford County (14June2013) Northfork Barn
… or trim and freshly painted, they are beautifully shaped.
Bedford County (14June2013) Middle Tennessee is known for its farms, beautiful horses, rolling green landscape, and bluegrass-country music. Although it is defined by the serpentine curves of the Tennessee River, it is its tributary, the Duck River that we see daily when we visit. We have family that was transplanted – many years ago- to Bedford County, just south of Nashville, so we usually include a paddle on a portion of the 457 km long Duck in our stay.
Paddling on the Duck River
Never let it be said that Southerners don’t have a sense of humour: when we go canoeing, our grandson wears a tee shirt with “Paddle faster! I hear banjos.” written on the back. The movie Deliverance was actually filmed in northeastern Georgia, but the countryside is similar.
iPhone6+Snapseed (16May2015) Eastern Gray Squirrel – Sciurus Carolinensis
The expansive housing estates, with their large properties surrounded by trees, make for plenty of back-yard wildlife. (19May2015) “Redbird”
The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a non-migratory year-round Tennessee resident. (21May2015) House Finch and Golden Finch
With the the right kind of seed, red house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus) and American goldfinches (Spinus tristis) are easily attracted to backyard feeders. (21May2015) I try to do something new and different on each visit, which is not hard because it is an area rich in natural beauty (see: Woods and Waterfalls). It is known for it’s southern country ways: huge cream magnolias and magnificent white colonial homes, fine horses and low-slung barns, “dry counties” and Tennessee bourbon (q.v.: A Shot of Jack).
Presidents have lived there (see: A Mixed Legacy) and there are countless Civil War battlefields and graveyards in the immediate vicinity. The scars haven’t all healed, and the stories are still fresh in people’s collective consciousness.
One of the sites we visited on our most recent trip was the Carter House just outside of Franklin, Williamson County. A guided tour of this State Historic Site is more a story-telling history-lesson than house tour. Most of the house itself – built by Fountain Branch Carter in 1830 for his wife Polly and their twelve children (nine of whom reached adulthood) – is not actually open to visitors. Instead, the guide relates the story of the house and the family, before bringing Civil War history vividly to life as he narrates his account of the Battle of Franklin, one of the most costly defeats for the Confederate States Army.
Before daybreak, November 30, 1864, Union Brigadier General Jacob D. Cox co-opted the house and turned the parlour into his command centre. The Carter family, with their slaves and various neighbours, took refuge in the basement while the battle raged all around. The Carters’ middle son Tod, who had been serving as an aide to Confederate Brig. Gen. Thomas Benton Smith, was wounded in the battle. He was, however, rescued from the battlefields, and died, two days later, in his childhood home.
The Carter House
Deceptively small from the front, the double-story house with basement and various outbuildings, is actually quite large. Over a thousand bullet holes from the Battle of Franklin are still visible in the outer walls. (15May2015) Carter House Kitchen Civil War Gun – Carter House – Franklin, Tennessee The Sam Davis Home, built in 1810 in nearby Smyrna, Rutherford County, was the upper middle class home of the Davis family. Sam, the eldest child, was attending the Western Military Academy in Nashville when the Civil War started in 1861. By 1863, he was a “Coleman Scout”, a scout and courier for the Confederate Army.
On November 20, 1863, he was captured by the Federal Army with Union battle plans in his possession. The conventions of war were that “scouts” wore army uniforms; a suspect who was seized while in disguise was designated a “spy” and could be executed. Sam Davis’ uniform was incomplete, and he refused to divulge who had given him the plans, reputedly saying: “If I had a thousand lives to live, I would give them all rather than betray a friend or my country.” So, he was hanged on November 27, 1863 aged 21, to be remembered as the “Boy Hero of the Confederacy”.
Classroom Memorabilia – Sam Davis Museum (20May2015) Guide Lee Lankford
After we have watched the Audio-Visual story of Sam Davis and visited the museum, our guide escorts us into the house itself. Dining-Room : Parlour
The rooms are dark, but well-appointed. On the Stairs
Two sets of stairs lead to the upper story. Wash Stand Upstairs Room
All the girls in the family shared a room – Cotton Handiwork
– separated from their brothers’ room by Grandma. The Original Keys
Lee carries the large keys that open the house and outbuildings. Kitchen Musicians on the Porch
Locals gather in the shade of the porch to fiddle bluegrass sounds. The area is also rich with Native American history.
In Coffee County, there is a stunningly beautiful peninsula formed where the Little Duck and Big Duck rivers almost meet, then spread apart for a while, and then meet to become the Duck. During the Middle Woodland Period, some 1,500-2,000 years ago, Pre-Columbian Native Americans built a perimeter wall of stone and earthwork around a 50 acre (0.20 sq km) mound. Archaeological evidence suggests the walls were built in stages between 30-550 AD, and that the area was used continuously for about 500 years. By the time European settlers arrived in the area, the mound had been abandoned for many years and it’s purpose had been forgotten. The new arrivals assumed it was a fort, hence the name: Old Stone Fort. Now, however, it is believed to have been a sacred ceremonial gathering site. At the narrow neck between the two rivers, there are parallel mound walls which orient to within one degree of the summer solstice sunrise.
Over the past two thousand years, the walls have settled and rounded, and it is hard to imagine how the area once looked. But, the 2 km (1 1/4 mile) walk around the wall, through the green forest, with the waters far below the hill on all sides, is magical.
Stone Raptor Pipe
The artefacts in the museum are amazing for their detailed and beautiful design. The design of this pipe is very reminiscent of West Coast Native American art. Adena Effigy Pipe
Tubular pipes were common in the Adena culture. This one is in the shape of a Indian man of the time. In the 50 Acre Woods
Under the management of the Tennessee State Parks, the woods are surrounded by beautiful waters and criss-crossed with trails, making them attractive for days out. Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene Carolina)
A box turtle tries to hide in the leaf little at the edge of the Little Duck River. Big Falls – Duck River
Rough paths lead down from the Wall Trail to the river’s edge… Big Falls – Duck River
… where each waterfall is more beautiful than the last. We heard a lot of stories, learned a lot of history, and explored a lot of wonderful, green, countryside.
 It left me looking forward to our next visit!
Till then
Happy Rambles!
Pictures: 14June2013 and 15-20May2015
Posted in America,Animals,Biography,History,pre-history,USATags: architecture,blog,history,landscape,museum,nature,Photo Blog,travel,Travel Blog,Ursula Wall
Bái Tử Long Bay
A Dragon’s Pearl junk at rest in Vườn Quốc Gia Bái Tử Long (Bai Tu Long National Park), North Vietnam. <<Knock, knock, knock!>> “The cooking class is starting upstairs,” said one of the boat’s crew through a closed cabin door downstairs.
“I guess the optional cooking class is not so ‘optional’!” I whispered to my husband, laughing.
We were already standing in the dining room of our purpose-built traditional Chinese junk, waiting. I was keen to watch and participate in the preparation of our afternoon Vietnamese spring rolls. Plus, I’d forgotten how low temperatures can be in North Vietnam in February, and had no warm clothing in my bag, so I couldn’t stay outside on the upper deck admiring the foggy winter scenery.
We were cruising through the waters between the port city of Halong and protected Bai Tu Long Bay, after being picked up in Hanoi very early that morning (see: Yen Duc Rice Fields). I had visited Halong Bay on a two-day trip with my daughter some eight years before, and had always wanted to revisit with my husband.
The area, which includes over 1600 mostly uninhabited islands and islets, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994 for its spectacular seascape of limestone karst pillars and its biological interest. Although all activities in the region are under strict regulation to minimise environmental impacts, the increase in tourism along with ongoing marine transport, fisheries, and daily activities of the local people, create a continued tension and challenge.
The region has become increasingly popular and, as a consequence, crowded, so visitors are often steered to Lan Ha Bay, at the south end, or towards the adjoining Bai Tu Long Bay, just north – even though tour operators tend to refer to all of these as “Halong”.
Bồ Hòn Island
Bồ Hòn Island (Soap-Berry Tree Island) is part of a beautiful chain of islands on Hạ Long Bay. Famous for its view over the World Heritage site waters and for its magnificent caves, it was already a busy and popular stop for visitors eight years ago when I was there. According to local operators, the area is much more crowded today, with as many as 500 boats moored in Halong waters overnight. (Photo: 12January2008) Hon Gai International Harbour
That was then; this is now.
Our boat leaves from a completely different harbour, and I miss the hustle and bustle of the commercial docks I’d set off from in 2008 – and that I had already excitedly told my husband about. The afternoon haze bounces off the waters of this quieter harbour as we wait in drizzly winter weather for our tender to collect us. Our Tender Awaits
Green matting is laid out to keep us from slipping as we make our way down the steep concrete steps to our tender. Bái Tử Long Bay
Limestone karst islets pass by us as we settle into our cabin. Ingredients for Spring Rolls
In the teak- and oak-lined dining-room, the fresh and colourful ingredients for the spring rolls we’ve been promised are set out and waiting. Our Chef and Our Translator
Soon we are joined by the boat’s chef who talks us through the ingredients and process in making the filling for spring rolls. Breaking Eggs
Eggs help bind the filling mixture. Adding Flavour
A sprinkle of salt completes the ingredients. Mixing Spring Rolls
The filling is evenly mixed … Filling Spring Rolls
… before being spooned into the rice paper and rolled up into neat parcels. Making Sauce
The chef mixes the dipping sauce before setting us to work filling and folding our own rolls. Chef in the Galley
We follow the chef into the galley to watch as spring rolls are fried up… Frying Spring Rolls
… for our afternoon snack. Ship’s Helmsman and Mate
Up in the wheelhouse, the helmsman and mate are happy to take their eyes off the ‘road’ and flash smiles for the camera. On the Boat Deck
Passengers brave the cold as our boat continues into the karst cliffs rising all around us. Boats on Bai Tu Long Bay
Our boat anchors, and we have the opportunity to climb into kayaks and paddle around Cap La Island. Kayaking at Cap La Island
The paddling warms me up. I am shocked by how dirty the water is with rubbish and slime-slick; between that and the cold air- and water-temperatures, I am surprised that some of our companions choose to go swimming. Sun Lowering on Bai Tu Long Bay
The sun lowers in the winter sky, the waters go quiet, … Bai Tu Long Evening
… and the world goes still. “Lovebirds”
Back in the dining room, the chef shows off his food-decorating skills: a pair of lovebirds carved from turnips wish us good luck and happiness. (iPhone6) Cruising, cooking class, and kayaking: it was a full day, really.
Top it off with plenty of fresh, tasty food and good drink and company, and you have a satisfying feast.
Dreaming of lovebirds and rocked by gentle waves, we drifted off to sleep…
‘Till next time,
Happy Sailing!
Pictures: 20February2016
Posted in Food,Nature,Travel,VietnamTags: environmental portrait,environmental portraits,food,landscape,National Park,nature,Photo Blog,travel,Travel Blog,UNESCO,Ursula Wall,Vietnam
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