Picking up from the motorcycle trip, we found ourselves in Da Nang with still 300km to the caving town of Phong Nha. So we caught our first sleeper train from Da Nang, arriving at 4:30 am in the town of Dong Hoi where we walked thru dimly lit streets and waited at a random street corner for the bus to Phong Nha, as instructed by our caving tour company.
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| It's like being rocked to sleep! |
As we waited for the sun to rise we witnessed the early morning stretches and yawns of a rising town: bakeries and restaurants preparing the morning's fragrant dishes, the first buses, and the early bird customers. Eventually the mini green and white bus arrived and we flagged it down. Hopping on board we traveled another hour via the local's route to the gateway town of Phong Nha (situated in the national park of Phong Nha-Ke Bang). This little farming town was once out of the way and unknown until the recent discovery of the largest and third largest caves in the world (Son Doong and Hang En. Son Doong can fit an entire NYC block inside it, including skyscrapers!). Over the last several years the town has been developing it's tourist infrastructure but is not yet overrun by the industry. We suspect it will quickly evolve due to the increasing popularity of caving and the low soil quality which limits the productivity of their agricultural industry.
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| Cambodian jungle boots used for Vietnamese caving! |
So now with a bit of lead up, let's talk about caving!! We first heard about the caves and the tours thru lonely planet and looking at the options they offered, we chose the one with the most amount of water time since we had so much fun canyoning in New Zealand and Da Lat, we wanted to keep a similar style of adventure.
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| We all had a chuckle at the umbrella but ironically, it was the best piece of "equipment" anyone brought! |
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| Camp site eating area with a view |
After the hot morning hike we arrived at camp late into the afternoon where everything was already set up for us. Our campsite was located at the bottom of a white, vertical, limestone cliff complete with a small cave, waterfall and swimming area. We had the choice of hammocks or tents for the night, 75% of us opted for hammocks, the rest for tents. Before our simple, camp-cooked, traditional Vietnamese dinner, we had a few hours to explore the cave and go for a quick dip under and around the waterfall.
Swimming into the first cave the darkness was overwhelming and turning on our headlamps lit up images like the dwarf kingdom in Lord of the Rings. Vaulted ceilings with enormous stalactites hanging down. We felt like puny little fish swimming thru the cave...and this was one of the small caves! (We didn't do the big cave because it's booked up 12 months in advance and costs $3000USD!)
Coming back to camp we bathed in DEET and then filled our bellies. After a couple games of cards, we headed to our hammocks and discovered they weren't as comfortable as we thought they would be. Rhonda chose one that was strung up way too tight and had difficulty even getting in. Once we were in (Rhonda changed hammocks) our next learning curve was the lack of airflow due to the mosquito netting. I just tried to get used to it and Rhonda unzipped the netting seeking out the cool air and braving the mosquitos. We ended up getting little sleep although strangely enough, we got up in the morning with great energy. Maybe the fresh air? Maybe the DEET? Maybe the excitement of the new adventure?
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| Down into "the long dark of Moria" |
Day 2 our guides led us back to the mountain we climbed over on Day 1 but this time we swam, hiked, and tunnelled through using a series of connected caves that emerged back at the start. Again we were humbled by the enormity, darkness, and absolute silence of these natural wonders. Exiting the caves and hiking back, we were grateful for the opportunity to witness such raw and untouched nature. Although, arriving back at our hotel we were also very grateful for a comfy bed, hot shower, and AC...Glorious!!!
-Terry & Rhonda
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