To dungeons deep, and caverns old...

The minute I stepped off the plane my first thought was how small the airport was. It wasn't any bigger than a warehouse, really. We had just arrived in Dong Hoi, a town north of Hue, which is becoming a popular tourist destination because of the amazing caves it has (one of which is THE largest cave in the WORLD!). Outside the airport our driver was waiting to take us to the farmstay (http://www.phong-nha-cave.com/), which would be our home for the next 5 days.

Once we reached the resort, we were greeted by a friendly guy with an English accent called Mike, who showed us around the place.

While we were having lunch we met a friendly dog named Lucky (we would later meet her puppy, Hotpot, who was so adorable you couldn't help wanting to give him a great big cuddle, even when he was trying to eat your shoe!)

                                                                                 

Hotpot begging for food

 Lucky (below) was basically just a great big pussy cat: she'd lie around all day and in the evenings she'd come and curl up on your lap. It was love at first sight, and I still probably have a few of her hairs on my T-shirt!

After playing pool (and winning!) Lena and I decided to go for a swim. The water, however was FREEZING and Lena hopped out straight away! I was pretty cold too, but I swam anyway (what can I say? I'm a Kiwi!).

On Tuesday we were driven to the beach and had a swim in the surf. I got knocked over by the waves a lot, but it was still great fun. The next day after breakfast Mum, Isaac, Lena and I hired some bikes and headed off to find a place called The Pub With Cold Beer, which apparently did AMAZING food (Dad was on a two day caving trip, hence his absence).

We weren't disappointed, the peanut sauce ALONE was unlike ANYTHING I had ever tasted! The bike ride was half the fun as well, although the uphill bits were a bit tiring! Most of the time I was thinking to myself "there had better be a REALLY cold drink waiting for me when we get there!"  At one point we went through a river, and I had to clutch onto my bike for dear life to keep it from being swept away in the knee-deep bits! As I struggled through the river, I saw some nearby cows looking at me with what I could have sworn were slightly amused expressions!

When we got there we got to watch one of the cooks first catch our indignantly squawking lunch, kill it, bleed it and then pluck it before cooking it.

plucking the chicken

relaxing in a hammock

LUUUUUUUUUNCH!!!!!

mum with the chef 

On Thursday I didn't do much other than read, eat M&Ms , play with the dogs, and lose at pool.

Friday was the day we went to Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park and (finally!) got to visit the caves!!! The first cave I got to visit was Paradise cave, which is so  big you can swing the EMPIRE STATE BUILDING around you and above you and it wouldn't touch the walls or ceiling!!! And Paradise cave isn't even the biggest!!!

As we walked down the underground board walk (after a very tiring uphill hike to get there!) we saw all kinds of AMAZING rock formations, including stalagmites and stalactites, lit by spotlights.

After going back through the cave and back down allllll those stairs we stopped at Paradise Cafe to have lunch and get changed into our togs ("swimsuits" for our non-kiwi friends) - we would need them!

Then we drove over to a building by the side of a river where we saw some wild monkeys in the distance. There we donned plastic sandals, life jackets, and helmets with torches attached (they didn't call this next cave 'the dark cave' for no reason).

Once we were all geared up we went down some steps to the edge of the  river, where we paired up and got into inflatable kayaks. As we floated down the river (half paddling, half trying desperately not to capsize) I noticed that the water was surprisingly warm, and saw little fish darting around underneath the surface.

When we reached the looming entrance to the cave we climbed onto a platform and started our journey into the ominous depths of  THE DARK CAVE!!!

As I followed our guide (Malty) deeper into the cave, I put my foot down and... SQUELCH! I was knee deep in mud. Thick, sloppy, oozing mud. Malty must have been expecting it, because he seemed unfazed and carried right on. As i looked around I saw we were in a narrow sort of underground corridor that was about two feet deep in mud! We went through this corridor a-ways and came out into a small chamber that was positively BRIMMING with MUUUUUUUUUUUD!!!!! There were steep banks of mud all around us that were PERFECT for sliding down! Someone started a mud-fight (it may have been me) and when it was time to leave, I was UNRECOGNISABLE (but hey, at least there weren't any leeches!).

Thankfully our next stop in The Dark Cave was a large underground lake in a HUGE chamber, where we could wash off all the mud that clung to us (however my rash top is now permanently stained brown!).

Once we reached the other side, the guide told us that from that point on it was all just razor sharp rocks, so we turned around and started to swim back. Part way through the lake we all turned off our lights, so now we were swimming in pitch black darkness. Of course right about now some genius decided to grab my leg! However I was expecting someone to try that, so i was absolutely terrified  wasn't scared at all!

Once we got back to the cave entrance, we climbed into our kayaks again and started off for the opposite shore. After everyone was dry and dressed we all piled into the van and drove back to the farm-stay.

The next day I reluctantly packed my bags and said goodbye to all the wonderful friends I had made. Then us and two other girls drove to the airport and got onto our plane that we thought was destined for Ho Chi Minh city. However this was not to be, for as our plane was taxiing to the runway it unexpectedly slowed down before coming to a complete standstill! Then, over the intercom we heard that our flight had been delayed due to 'technical difficulties', and that we would all have to get off the plane and wait back at the gate.

We did this and after a while we were all getting hungry, so they gave all the passengers food coupons. We went downstairs and waited about an hour for our lunch, and once we'd eaten we sat back and waited some more. And waited, and waited.

Then over the loudspeakers we found out that our flight had been CANCELLED and the next flight wasn't 'til 7:00 am the next day! so we decided to drive to Hue, and catch a flight from there instead of having to stay the night. Three other girls (two of which were the same girls who had came to the airport with us) had the same idea, and helpfully arranged a car for our group to get to Hue. However our car was a seven-seater, and there was EIGHT of us. Oh, and did I mention that one of the girls was claustrophobic?

So for the next three and a half hours we were all piled into a car, tired, travel-sick, and with VERY sore rears! But in the end we made it, and just had time to have a quick dinner before boarding.

Needless to say, by the end of it all we were EXHAUSTED, but it had been and EPIC holiday!

Phong Nha

mum in a hammock.

Amberly and Lucky by the fire.

On the 7 of January, 2014, our family went to Phong Nha Farmstay for the first holiday of the new year. The farmstay, which is located at Quang Binh, central Vietnam, is a two story paradise, decked out with a pool table, hammocks, tasty smoothies, a pool that was hypothermia-inducing cold, and two dogs called Lucky and Hot Pot. Even without the amazing view of rice paddies, cows, water buffalo and white herons, the place would have been awesome. But why stop there? After all, this area does boast the LARGEST CAVE IN THE WORLD!!! So obviously they had to provide tours. Renting a bicycle (xe đạp in Vietnamese) is also an option for the days entertainment, as the surrounding country side is lovely to pedal through. One of the best ways to wind down in the evening is to enjoy a mango smoothie by the fire with Lucky on your lap (or Hot Pot if you can get him away from his begging) while you read a book or chat to all the other friendly holiday making guests from everywhere. Of all the places in Vietnam, I feel that Mum and Dad chose the best one possible for our Christmas holiday.

One of the formations in one of the caves
 in one of the cave systems in one of the mountains.

For more information about the farmstay and the tours, go to http://www.phong-nha-cave.com/

On a slow boat to Phong Nha Cave

On the Thursday that Dad left to go on his 2 day expedition, the owner of Phong Nha Farmstay (http://www.phong-nha-cave.com/) suggested that the rest of us tag along with a group of Aussies that were going to Phong Nha Cave by bike and boat. We hadn't planned anything for that day and I was keen, but Mum just wanted a day to relax so she gave me some money to pay for lunch, I went over and said hello and once everyone was ready, off we went! It was a longer bike ride than the one to the Pub With Cold Beer, but the hills weren't as steep and everyone managed to keep up a decent pace. Not only was the ride fun, it was educational, as Malty, our impromptu guide (his name is actually David but no-one calls him that), gave a bit of a commentary as we rode along.

 Here's Malty

After a bit we came to a river that had to be crossed by boat, as there are no bridges for kilometres either way. The lady who operated it charged us just over 5000 đồng each, although Malty said it varies up to 10,000.

Not many foreigners cross the river  that way, so wherever we went every single kid we passed and even some adults called out "hello!" as we passed. As we rode along, we saw some lovely landscapes; it could almost have been NZ apart from the rice paddies!

Eventually, we came to the Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park. It was pretty hard to miss:

Once we were in, Malty led us to the ticket counter, where I noticed a rather unusual sign...

I wonder how many mental patients try to come through? Obviously not enough for the cashier to recognize them, as we got through no problem. We got tickets and headed down to catch another boat. There are over 300 families who make their living through fishing and transporting tourists, so whoever organized the place had a roster system set up so only a few were there each day.

While on the river that led to Phong Nha Cave, we got a closer look at the hills around us.

At last, we saw the unimposing cave entrance in front of us, and after a brief stop we headed in.

At the end of the first chamber (above photo) was a tiny entrance we had to squeeze through to get to the main gallery. This was where the oohs and aahs began, as we passed formation after formation of beautiful rocks, each lit by well-placed lights.

Towards the end, we came to an unusual sight: an underground beach! This area contained some of the most impressive pillars and stalactites/stalagmites, including one that sparkled (third and fourth pics).

 At the end was a massive chamber with towering pillars on one side and a sheer wall on the other.

Once we got out, we stopped for ice cream then hopped back onto the boats to go home, passing what seemed to be a lighthouse, an odd sight on a river.

We had lunch at a stop on the way back (if 4:00 can be called lunchtime) that made absolutely delicious stewed pork and pork ribs. Sadly, we had to take a less scenic route home as we were pressed for time to get back before dark. This did, however, give me a chance to talk to the Aussies and find out how badly they'd been ripped off the first day they arrived, paying close to 10 times the normal amount for a taxi and coconut. It had been a great day, but we were all very happy to get to the farmstay again.