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Torres del Paine is among the biggest of Chile’s national parks, occupying almost 600,000 acres (242,000 ha) of land in the south on the border with Argentina. It is also among the most important, receiving a significant proportion of domes Like any American, traveling occasionally is just what I love doing and I bet you share the same stuff with me. But traveling does not mean that you would be safe. Escaping from our job and other stressful activities is just something that w

Determined to find her own private paradise Duc Hanh takes a cycling and kayaking tour to the far reaches of Halong bay Afterdisembarking the Indochina Sails Junk onto a smaller wooden boat, wesail towards the shore of Ngoc Vung Island along with my fellowtravellers and a bunch of mountain bikes. We are off for a cycling tipacross this mysterious island which sits amongst the awe inspiringHalong archipelago. Ngoc Vung (Mother Pearl) island is 50km from HalongCity’s Wharf. Once all around the island you could plungebelow and find a plethora of pearls, hence the name ‘Mother Pearl’island. The island is 12 square kilometers in area with over 1,000inhabitants living mainly off fishing, farming, aquaculture andafforesting. “If you see the island from helicopter, Ngoc Vunglooks like a beautiful velvet handkerchief with white edging,” says thecaptain of Huong Hai junk. “It seems to be floating on the water’ssurface.” “Once upon a time, when night fell, the island would havebeen illuminated by the incandescent pearls below,” he continues, lostin his own happy reverie. Too bad, I reflect, that these finite oceantreasures have been plundered. After we arrive at the island’ssmall wharf we grab our bikes and prepare to cycle to the east side ofthe island where we’ve been promised we will find deserted beaches. Wetake a coastal road that skirts the island’s hilly terrain. The road isspectacular. There is never a chance to get bored with stunning viewsof land and sea. Off the shoreline fishermen are caulkingtheir bamboo boat with tar or scrapping worms off the panels of theirwooden boats. Along the road several women are mending fishing nets ordrying peanuts. Up the hilly slopes, children blithely tend to oxen orgeese. On the verdant paddy fields farmers pull up weeds or busythemselves with fresh water ponds of fish and shrimp. We’re told youcan find big fish in these little ponds. One farmer we meetalong the way, says, “Last week, my uncle caught a butterfish weighingover 10 kg.” For those worried about cycling on country roads on remoteislands, Ngoc Vung boasts fairly smooth infrastructure all round. Thereis certainly little by way of traffic. Just the odd three-wheeledvehicle or motorbike passes by. Life on the island is simple. If you’reafter tranquillity, it is here in spades. “Everybody hereknows each other very well,” says Mien, who transports goods around theisland in his three-wheeled vehicle. “Whenever someone is sick everyoneon the island comes to wish them a speedy recovery. Whenever a familyhas bad luck, everyone is ready to help them. I have neverlocked the door to my house. Here we are one big family.” The cyclefrom the wharf to the beach is rather short, just 5km, so even ifyou’re not a keen cyclist you should find it easy enough. There is noneed to rush, no need to stress out. We stop frequently and bask in theisland’s natural beauty. When we finally arrive at the whitesandy beach, it glistens under the sunshine. There is not a soulbathing on the beach. For tourists looking for a remote hidden getawayspot this fits the bill. That of course means you have zero by the wayof services – no bars or restaurants, no showers or toilets. But that’swhy we’re here: To escape the crowds and bask in our own little privateparadise. We park our bicycles under the pine-trees where a small tenthas been set up for us to change into our swimsuits. Then, oneby one, we run for the clear blue waters and dive in. After swimming,sun-bathing and walking along the beach, with heavy hearts we cycleback towards the boat. But the fun isn’t over. After sailing away fromNgoc Vung we clamber into kayaks and paddle towards Cong Do, a floatingfishing village in Bai Tu Long bay, 25km southeast of Halong city.There are over 50 floating houses and boats nestled in amongst a seriesof green rocky stacks and islets. Covered from the wind thatsweeps across the sea, all around the floating village the water isextremely calm. We paddle through as the villagers go about their dailybusiness. Fishermen mend nets, women cook up meals or wash clotheswhile kids jump and splash outside in their watery gardens. Oneof the houses is an arresting shade of pink. We can’t help but headtowards it. The owners, a recently married couple, tell us that theyspent VND200 million building the house. They have a baby on the wayand previously had lived on a small fishing boat. This pink house onthe high seas was where they were settling down to raise a family. Gettingthere You can travel to Ngoc Vung island by boat from Halong wharf, butremember there are no hotels, restaurants so make sure you arrange around-trip! The locals here are very friendly and there may be apossibility of a homestay accommodation with a homecooked seafooddinner. An easier way to go about it is to book a tour. Youcan join a three-day and two-night tour with Indochina Sails thatincludes visiting Ngoc Vung as well as caves, fishing villages,swimming and kayaking in spots all across the World Heritage SiteHalong Bay. Shorter trips to the island are also possible. IndochinaSails, 04 984 2362, www.indochinasails.com