Phong Nha or the lonely weekend

We have been in Phong Nha since Thursday evening. The place nestles against the border of Phong Nha-Khe Bang National Park and is a nature reserve in northern central Vietnam, bordering Hin Namno Nature Reserve in Laos. Phong Nha-Khe Bang is characterized by mountains, tropical forests, underground rivers, and its huge cave system. This network includes the enormous Son Doong Cave and the Phong Nha Cave, which is large enough for boats. The rich wildlife of this region includes, it is said, tigers, black bears, and elephants.

We have a small bungalow at Chay Lap Farmstay. The facility is located amidst lush meadows, green forests, and tall overgrown mountains. It is beautiful, and I would love to stay here for a long time. Christian and I went separate ways on Friday morning. He will spend the next two nights in the Tu Lan Cave with six other adventurous explorers. He has already told me about this tour at home, and I know you're not supposed to say "aww" about a man, but aww, he was so excited like a little boy when they finally left on Friday morning at 7:30. In the meantime, I am enjoying nature above ground. And I really am. I almost dare not say what I did all day yesterday... in my defense, the weather here is unfortunately neither sunny nor warm. It's cloudy, it's raining, and the temperature is just under 20 degrees. So yesterday, I spent the whole day in bed. With long sweatpants, a long sweater, and socks on my feet, snuggled up in the duvet. The TV - the good old friend - kept me company. In between, I slept and enjoyed the sweet idleness. It felt so good.

Today, Saturday, the weather is a tiny bit better. It's not raining. But that's about it. Nevertheless, I have decided to sit by the pool with my music in my ears to do the things that still need to be done. Like organizing bus tickets for Monday and booking a hotel. The next destination will be Ninh Binh. A small town below Hanoi. Unfortunately, Phong Nha is so remote that there is no direct bus from here to Ninh Binh. So we have to go back from Phong Nha to Dong Hoi and take the bus from there. The whole trip takes about 9 hours. Hallelujah, joy reigns 😜 But we will manage that too.

I'm going to rent a bike now to explore the surroundings. Maybe I'll come across a tiger, bear, or elephant in front of my camera lens 🐯🐻🐘