Halong Bay

The magical place that garners my vote is Taos, NM.  The most sacred thing in this place is the land itself, a barren enchantment that casts into sharp relief an artist's paradise: feathered mounds of sagebrush, clumps of red willow, tall evergreens, gigantic cottonwood trees waving branches laced with grey leaves, and patches of delicate flowers singing in a wee yellow chorus from smooth mottled rocks embedded in the warmth of the earth.  Through this eloquent minimalism snakes a carefree river nestled between banks of sun-faded clay dotted in myriad shades of green.  Resting above and wrapped around this canvas, rise the fluid lines of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, its throne the pyramid peaks and contoured crest of Taos Mountain, a reclining Madonna breathing out an aura of protection and peace to her kingdom and its inhabitants below.  Sometimes she poses bareheaded and barefaced, sheathed only in brilliant blue: other times she wears a veil of vaporous clouds, sending out mystic vibes to the valley below.  Come evening, she lies anointed under lavender skies awash in gold, copper, and scarlet reflections from the setting sun.  In the hours past midnight, I have awakened to hear the hum of Taos Mountain, a vibrating series of wave lengths that unleashes a cosmic force of creative empowerment, reassurance, and peace.  A hundred divergent paths become open to me, and the Pueblo spirit hands me the reins to life.

My favorite experience in a tranquil setting was atop the Continental Divide above the Arctic Circle in Alaska. It was a feeling of nothingness and everything. Being from the lower 48, it takes an effort to get there and I had no preconceived notions about what it would feel or be like. It was summertime and my wife and I just wanted to see how far north we could go. The nothingness was the utter lack of people and noise. There was a silence of which I have never experienced, before or after. The everything was the vast expanse of treeless land in every direction, daunting, beautiful and uncorrupted. We could follow the herds of caribou and and elk, black bear, grizzly bear, moose, wolverine and deer as they went in different directions guided only by their instincts. It gives you a feeling that you cannot explain, but when you get there you will say, "Yes, I understand."

As I sat looking at the bay on the right I saw gorgeous, lush, deep green mountains encased with bubbly, white clouds while the peaks stuck out at the top.  To the left was a rocky cliff, with water crashing into and above the volcanic rock and in the middle was crystal turquoise water that looked like I was in a pool but it was the Pacific Ocean.  The white sandy beach was about the size of a small circular parking lot and only two other people were walking on the beach.  Monet would have been awestruck!  The wind gently blew through the palm trees and you could hear the thump of a fallen coconut every once in awhile.  A few surfers would be hanging on to the last few moments of daylight.  The sight and smellis were more than I can ever put into words.  I felt as close to heaven as a human can be while still breathing.  I was in Kuaui, Hawaii.  Kalapacki Bay to be exact.  Time stood still for eight days of my life.  I think I was in a beauty coma!       

One of these days I'd love to send my husband back to Vietnam to see such treasured sights as Halong Bay. He had two tours of duty with the Navy Seabees in the 60's and was never able to safely see anything other than military bases. We've recently heard that Vietnam is a great place to visit, what a difference a few decades make.

I don't think I've found my magical place yet.  But I'll keep my eyes open.

My magical place is sailing my boat up Sir Francis Drake's Channel in the BVI.  Heaven