I'll readily admit this: I was not looking forward to going to Phong Nha. Sam really wanted to go see the caves in the National Park and other activities were available including jungle trekking. I just didn't want to be in the middle of nowhere getting bitten by mosquitoes and not be able to get decent food.
I will also readily admit that I was totally wrong about Phong Nha and it was really one of the highlights of the trip. Whereas can you zip line to a cave and have a mud bath, and throw a duck into a pond?
That first day, we visited the 8 Ladies Cave first, so-called because 8 ladies uses to live there. It was used as a shelter while the Vietnamese built roads for supplies during the American War. The area was one of the worst bombed and 76% of the area still isn't cleared of UXO. The legacy of the war is everywhere in Vietnam and south-east Asia.
We then went to Paradise Cave which is so long and large you can fit two Boeing planes in there. Don't ask me which ones, but really big ones basically. It's the longest dry cave in Asia, and maybe the world? You walk along a boardwalk looking at all the stalagmites and stalactites.
Lunch was served at our final stop, the Dark Cave. Then we got fitted with harnesses and helmets and ziplined across the lake to the entrance of the cave. The lake was freezing! We got in and took off our life jackets and walked through to the mud baths. Mudfights ensued. One boy drank the muddy water. My shower that night I had to shampoo my hair three times to get all the mud out.
The way back was in kayaks - only this time the kayaks were soft and comfy. Most of us got out and swam a bit, and at the end we could go another shorter zipline, or an obstacle course, or a random swing you could jump off.
We all met up that night at our hostel and got very drunk very quickly. Medical students and doctors know some very tough drinking games.
On our second day we hired bikes. I haven't cycled in a very long g time and neither had Sam so we practiced a bit before we set off. And I had to get the seat put down all the way for my tiny legs.
It took over an hour to get there because I took us the wrong way but after bruising our bums we made it to The Duck Stop. For £3.50 we got a drink, pancakes and an experience I will never ever forget.
Feed the ducks. With your belly button. Who knew ducks had claws on their webbed feet? Also, so ticklish having a hundred ducks pecking at your body!
We then cycled a little way to a farm stay, dropped off the bikes, and watched the sun set. Wow.
And a shuttle back. Phew.
We got a bus in the morning to Hue. It was another sleeper bus so we could relax for th few hours we were on it. At Hue we walked to our homestay, with our new friend Steph in tow who had been in our room in Phong Nha. A nice little room with a balcony, we were only in Hue for one night. When we arrived, our host managed to organise a driver to take us to three main sites for a few hours. He stopped first as an incense making place where we got to roll our own incense sticks.
Tu Doc tomb - Emporer's resting place and office. Very pretty and had original documents that he'd commented on displayed.
Our last stop was the Imperial City which was large and very hot.
But our second stop was the only thing I had wanted to go to: Ho Thuy Tien, an abandoned water park. Crocodiles used to roam the waters.
The first gate had a guard on it and a no visitors sign. The second gate was open and we paid 50k to a man on a bike who seemed to be patrolling. His rules were no climbing, no punting(?!) and no smoking. Okay.
We explored an old arena, the seats still attached in places.
Our driver left us at the Imperial City, and we got a taxi back. Showers were in order, and then food in a place with a bus know the roof you could sit in. The menu was in Vietnamese and had to be explained to us. Then we walked to the night market and then strolled back to bed thoroughly pooped.
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