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Two
kilometers south-west of Ti Tốp Beach is the Mê
Cung Grotto or Bewitching Grotto. It formed on
Lom Bò Island, and seen from afar, the entrance
is like the roof of a house denting the island’s
side.
After a narrow crack only allowing one person
through at a time, many partitions appear. These
chambers are somewhat small and narrow, but very
refined, and with many stalagmites and
stalactites bearing beautiful forms.
 Threading
your way through narrow passages, you find a dim
light from afar, which signals the exit of the
grotto. On getting out of the grotto, climb up
several rugged stone stairs and look down, you
see a large round lake surrounded by the
mountain. Its waters is blue all year round. The
lake is home to many kinds of fish, shrimps,
octopuses, algae, see weed, and coral. Lying
adjacent to the lake there is an area of old
trees popularly known as an alluring “royal
garden”.
It
is dry and well-ventilated, and features a thick
layer of shells forming the foundation of the
entrance. Formerly, this layer was
1.2-meter-thick and semi-fossilized. In the
course of research, there was also a fossilized
animal’s skeleton discovered in the interior.
The Mê Cung Grotto has been recognized by
archaeologists as one of the vestiges of the
pre-Ha Long new Stone Age culture, that existed
between 7,000 and 10,000 years ago.
Pushing into the grotto, tourists feel like
walking in a palace of a Persian king. Hearing
the murmur from out of nowhere, you think that
Scheherazade is telling the stories of the
Thousand and One Nights for her king.
On
the island, there are many ancient trees casting
long reflections on the water of the bay. They
are home to many species of birds and animals
(monkeys, chamois and varans). |
