Month October 2016
Phong Nha national park is home to the largest cave in the world, Hang Son Doong. It would be extremely cool to go there but it takes seven days and costs 3000 USD per person which is just not feasible for me right now. There are plenty of other caves in the area however, and I visited two of them.
The Dark Cave is set up as an adventure, they kit you out with a life jacket, a hard hat with a light on it, and a climbing harness then send you off with a guide. The trip starts with … Read the rest
We are in a small, waist deep pool far inside the the dark cave. The water is completely saturated with mud, sort of like a thick soup, and it changes the density so that we all become more buoyant. Floating on your back with your feet in the air is effortless; so is floating on your stomach, hands and feet out of the water, it almost feels like you are flying. This experience is so special I don’t think my words do it justice.… Read the rest
We are in a crevice branching off from the main cave. It keeps getting narrower as we walk and we wind our way past stalagtites, stepping over rocks and through mud. The sense of adventure is almost tangible…… Read the rest
The water is cold, I wouldn’t go swimming in it if it wasn’t for the promise of adventure up ahead. I look behind me and all I see is a line of lights, eight of them twinkling like stars in the darkness, streaks of silver lashing the surface of the jet black water. In front of me I can just make out the walls of the cave but straight ahead nothing, just a darkness so compact my light cannot penetrate it.… Read the rest
We have left the jungle’s slow moving brown river behind us and are entering the cave. In front of me, a pillar of rock that looks like petrified silt rises up out of the cave floor. On top of it is a stone formation that almost looks like a statue of a naked lady, all green with algae. Above, the vaulted roof of the cave is covered in lime stone formations hanging down like curtains. Behind, the jagged mouth of the cave is silhouetted against blue sky.… Read the rest
Today I didn’t have time for any real sightseeing, instead I hit the road and headed for Son Trach, a small village that works as a kind of hub for people visiting Phong Nha national park. By the main highway it’s fairly short and quick but I decided to take the scenic route i.e the Ho Chi Minh highway.
Getting there took a bit of trouble because the road was crossed in several places by the remains of mud slides and rock falls.
The way up 
One of the rock falls blocking the road. I did actually manage to pass
Finally I am here, the real Ho Chi Minh highway. The disappointment I felt two hours earlier is gone, now all I feel is the excitement of being on this road, it’s smooth, it’s curvy in just the right way, and when the jungles along the side open up you get beautiful mountain vistas. It’s everything I hoped it would be.… Read the rest
The paved road just ended and it turned into a bumpy, rutted mud track. This is, by far, the absolute worst road I’ve ever been on. My wheels keep slipping and sliding in the mud and I move forward at walking speed, constantly on edge from the fear of falling over. I manage a glance at the GPS, 11 more kilometers until the turning point; it will be hell if it’s going to be like this all the way.… Read the rest
The road is straight, relatively smooth and on both sides nothing but jungle. A quick glance at my GPS tells me I am on the Ho Chi Minh highway, that legendary road for bikers in this country and I am… a little bit disappointed. Sure, smooth roads and jungles are nice but I have read such good things about it and it doesn’t live up to the hype. I’ve been on equally smooth roads with much nicer views in other parts of the country, the road between Dalat and Nha Trang comes to mind. Oh well, I shall keep going, … Read the rest
Hue is very close to the old demilitarized zone so there are a few military remnants in the area. The most interesting for me were the Vinh Moc tunnels, about 100 kilometers north of Hue, where an entire fishing village went under ground. On the way out, I happened upon a big communist monument of some kind. There wasn’t any information in English available but it looked cool with the big flag and everything. I will say though that the 40000 Dong entrance fee was a bit steep for a five minute visit.
Compared to the Cu … Read the rest