Day 10 - Hue: Phong Nha

We had an early start to the day and were told that we would spend the majority of the day on the bus because it would take us three to four hours to get to Phong Nha or Ke Bang National Park. I've been exhausted every day because I have been taking advantage of the free WiFi in all of the hotels we've been staying at and watching Game of Thrones while blogging! I've watched the entire first season online and am finally on the season finale. LOL

Driving through Hue, I could see that it's not as developed as the rest of the country even though it used to be the capital of Vietnam. There is a lot of farmland and it still looks very under-developed. The people in Hue are still doing many things manually, which takes a lot of effort and time. The 150 kms to Phong Nha took us three hours of driving with a lunch stop in between.

When we got to the entrance of Phong Nha, it was clear that we would not regret the long drive. The mountainous park is home to many caves and grottos and we were told we would go deep into one of the largest caves on a riverboat that only seats 12 people at a time. These riverboats were by no means safe - they consisted of a cloth cover over low wooden beams and 12-14 loose plastic chairs and hand-sewn life jackets. Regardless, we jumped in an off we went down the Son River.

All along the riverside, we saw the way the people of the Bo Trach district use the river for their everyday living needs. We saw the way the river was shared amongst the people and their animals. In one section, we saw the water buffalo bathing; in another, we saw a woman doing her laundry; and further down, we saw little boys using a tree branch as a diving board and doing backflips into the water. As with many rivers, it is a source of life for all those who surround it.

In the backdrop of this river are the wonderful rock formations that are unique to this park. It reminded me a little of the rock formations in Ha Long Bay and I remember thinking that maybe it's OK that we didn't get to see it because I got to see something equally beautiful - there are so many beautiful sites all over Vietnam.

When we got to the Phong Nha cave, it was definitely breathtaking. The entrance looked small compared to the rock formations but when we entered, we quickly found out at the cave was enormous. It was once considered the largest cave in Phong Nha but there was another cave recently discovered in 2009 that is much larger (Son Duong). The cave itself was very dark and I couldn't get many pictures, but there were two points where we were given an opportunity to get out and climb. My mother stayed on the boat for the first stop because the cave floor was too steep and she spent the 30 minutes in the riverboat with the lady who was steering the boat.

There are 350 operating riverboats in Phong Nha, which means that each boat can only go about twice a week. They charge 200,000 dong (about $10CAD) for one boatride with 12 people. The lady was telling my mother that they survive on about $80/week during the summer and even less during the winter. She even told my mother that she has lived by the river her entire life, never making it into the biggest city nearby, which is only about 50km away. The river is her only source for survival.

When we got to the second stop, my mother's curiosity overcame her and she jumped out for the second stop. I'm glad she did because she got to see the cave and how large it was. She said that she had seen one in the US before and it was no where near as large as this one. She felt proud that Vietnam has such a place and said that she had absolutely no idea that these caves even existed in her own country!

We must have climbed about a hundred steep steps to get to the inner parts of the cave where there were different lights placed strategically to highlight some of the incredible limestone formations. My camera battery died and I was disappointed that I couldn't take more pictures but I did manage to get this shot from my BlackBerry!