Video: Mountain Biking Through the Darklight

This beautifully shot video comes our way from the good folks over at Sweetgrass Productions. It was shot over a period of about three weeks, while following pro mountain bikers Graham Agassiz, Matt Hunter, and Matty Miles as they rode through the open expanses of southern Utah and the lush forests of the Pacific Northwest. Both of those locations are fantastic for mountain biking of course, but these riders rode the trails in the middle of the night, setting up an entirely different looking scene. Watch the video and enjoy the great riding intermixed with interesting light. Truly beautiful.

Video: Have You Ever Seen a Yak Polo Game?

I've seen polo played on horses and even elephants before, but never on yaks. Those are the steeds used by four teams that play in a remote corner of Pakistan however, and they even hold an annual tournament to see which of them is the best. Villagers in the beautiful Broghil Valley region – situated at about 3962 meters (13,000 ft) – ride their favorite yaks while knocking a tiny ball around a picturesque alpine meadow. It is definitely a site to behold. Check it out in the video below, and start sharpening up your yak riding skills if you want to take part in this event.

Video: Blind Ultra-Runner Completes Inca Trail

A few days back I told you about Dan Berlin, a blind athlete who had just become the first person without sight to run the entire 26 mile (41 km) length of Peru's Inca trail. Now, we have video of his run, showing he and his support team making their way along the tough route that features more than 5000 feet (1524 meters) of vertical gain. If you're looking for a bit of extra inspiration today, or if Dan's story captured your attention earlier in the week, you'll definitely enjoy this clip.

Video: Take a 90-Second Road Trip Through Scenic Montana

Want to take a road trip through Montana? Have 90 seconds to kill? Than this video is perfect for you. It comes our way courtesy of National Geographic Traveler, and gives us an all-too-short glimpse of one of my favorite places on Earth. From mountain landscapes, to raging rivers, to pristine forests, Montana has it all. And we get a brief look at it in this clip. It definitely makes me want to hit the road!

HALONG BAY VACATION

HALONG BAY, ONE OF THE 7 NATURAL WONDERS OF THE WORLD

HaLong Bay is northern Vietnam’s biggest attraction, one of the world magnificent natural heritages of the Far East with 3000 limestone and dolomite islands rising from waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. The vegetation-covered islands, which are spread out over an area of 1500 sq km, are dotted with innumerable beaches and grottoes created by the wind and the waves. Visitors have compared the area’s magical landscape of carboniferous chalk islets to Guilin in China and Krabi in southern Thailand.

The meaning of “Ha Long”, in Vietnamese, Ha means “descend”, and “Long” means “dragon”, so the word HaLong means “where the dragon descends into the sea”.

HaLong Bay Descending dragon

Legend has it that the islands of HaLong Bay were created by a giant dragon who lived in the mountains. As he ran towards the coast, his flailing tail gouged out valleys and crevasses; as he plunged into the sea, the areas dug up by his tail became filled with water, leaving only bits of highland visible. The bay is even said to be inhabited by a mysterious marine creature of gargantuan proportions known as the Tarasque.

HaLong Bay affords some of Vietnam’s most spectacular scenery, including beautiful limestone formations, rock arches, gin-clear water, virtually scenery lagoons, sheer cliffs, peaceful coves, eerie caves, secluded strips of white, powdery sand, and thousands of limestone islets. Like sculpted cartoon characters, these islet are fancifully named: Frog Island, Face Island, Isle of Surprise, etc.

Wooden Stakes Cave

Among thousands of caves of all sizes and shapes, Hang Dau Go(the Grotto of Wooden Stakes Cave), known to the French as the Grotte des Merveilles (Cave of Marvels) is a huge one consisting of three chambers which you reach via 90 steps.

Among the stalactites of the first hall, scores of gnomes appear to be holding the meeting. The walls of the second chamber sparkle if bright light is shined on them. The cave derives its Vietnamese name from the third of the chambers, which is said to have been used during the 13th century to store the sharp bamboo stakes, which Tran Hung Dao planted in the bed of the Bach Dang River to impale the Kublai Khan’s invasion fleet.

Other well-known caves in HaLong Bay include the Grotto of Bo Nau and 2 km long Hanh Hanh Cave.

HaLong City.

The main town in the region is HaLong city, which is in two havles, one on the mainland and one on the neighbouring island. HaLong city East(Hong Gai) on the mainland is 165km from Hanoi, 60km from Hai Phong and 40km from Cam Pha; and HaLong city West(Bai Chay) on the island is across the water a few kilometers west from Hong Gai. Travellers always catch a car or bus to Hai Phong, then board a ferry there to Hong Gai and spend at least one night here. There are plenty of reasonable hotels in HaLong, mostly in or near Bai Chay. Besides, HaLong hotel system consist of three properties, a lot of newly built hotels can offer good accommodations and services at reasonable prices.

Taking a tour of the Bay is the main activity when visiting HaLong city. If you want to see a lot, choose a fast boat. If you want a romantic experience but with the risk of getting hardly anywhere, look for one of the old junks. It is hardly to visit almost every island in the Bay, but only some splendid and famous ones.Therefore, an ideal trip to HaLong city and the Bay is a four-day trip.

HaLong’s only natural drawback is the weather. It is often damp, rainy and cold, particularly during the winter months. Visitors during the winter tend to spend most of their time in the bay itself, as HaLong’s water remains bath-warm year-round. If HaLong were, say, a thousand kilometers closer to the equator, this would be a paradise on Earth. As it is, it is still darn close. Cacth the area on a nice day, particularly during the spring and fall months, and you are in for one of the biggest treats of your Vietnam visit.