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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).
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