Rice patties, distant mountains, and cow traffic jams describe this town above ground. But under the karst formations is what has caught international attention. We spent two days climbing down into the depths of the earth, moving past jaw dropping intricate gaudi-like formations of stalactites and stalagmites. On the first day we We entered the ridiculously immense paradise cave, our jaws dropping at the breath and scope of the lunar formations that make Carlsbad caverns look tiny. Passing throngs of chatty tourists, our group of 12 walked to the end of the brightly lit boardwalk where a guard opened a tiny gate for us to walk through with our guides. Into the darkness and the silence. 3 miles of underground cave systems with headlamps and ours was the only group ad they allow only 12 people a day past the gate. We swam through pools of cave water, and climbed over and under immense rock walls. We slid through under ground mud rivers, a group of adults giggling like small children as we all got stuck in the mud or fell and got covered. At one point our guide pecked at the stalagmites with his fingers and to Adam's surprise and joy, each one played a clear bell like sound! Different pitches for each and everyone tried their hand at this awesome natural instrument. Our guide even offered up a rendition of jingle bells, miles under the earth. After hours of underground adventure we emerged in a light shaft where an underground river rushed by that came all the way from Laos and continued on for kilometers more. This was an epic adventure and the next day we enjoyed phong na cave with a beautiful boat ride through the grottos of a lunar landscape.
A Vietnamese-British couple that lived in the area predicted the popularity of the cave system and started a farm stay where we stayed for two nights. It was the perfect blend of the two cultures, providing the comfort of home that a easy to communicate with staff, cold beer, and a movie night and band provide with a very kind and fun staff. We biked the beautiful country side and enjoyed good morning Vietnam on lounge chairs and pool time after long and lovely cave sojourns.
With our clothes muddy and our hearts full of joy we boarded the overnight train to Hanoi.
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