Phong Nha

Hello everyone,
yesterday we set off early on the road again, but unfortunately we didn't have much luck with the weather. It didn't rain, but it was very foggy and without the sun it was quite cold. It probably had about 10°C at times, which can quickly become very uncomfortable on a motorcycle... After leaving the village behind, we continued along the river for a while until we reached Phong Nha National Park. When you only see one scooter rider coming towards you on a 20km road, you know you have a problem if you have a breakdown. But our Camilla managed the road with many curves, ups and downs without any problems :) Once we arrived at Phong Nha National Park, we admired the huge limestone mountains again and wondered if there are caves everywhere underneath. The park became known for the discovery of the largest cave in the world, Son Doong Cave. It has over 150 individual caves, lakes, rivers and even its own jungle inside. However, visiting it would exceed our budget ($3000), so we decided to only visit the publicly accessible caves. Since Paradise Cave was directly on our way, we made a stop there. The strenuous climb to the entrance was rewarded when we reached the top. When we descended into the huge cave (all alone), we felt a bit like in 'The Hobbit' in the city under the mountain. The entire cave was illuminated with spotlights, allowing us to admire the stalactites in their full size. Here, one could only imagine how big Son Doong Cave must be if it is even bigger. After the visit, we drove to the small town at the foot of the National Park to check into the hostel and end the evening with a game of billiards. Today we started the journey to the 2nd cave, Phong Nha Cave. We quickly found 9 more adventurers at the entrance who could share the boat costs. This cave can only be accessed by boat. We sailed into it on the river and could feel a bit like in 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. Afterwards, we went to a 3rd cave, where we had to maneuver through the stalactites. In the afternoon, we went to the botanical garden, although this name is a bit misleading. It was more like a path through a forest, along or through a stream, where animals could possibly be observed. From the viewpoint, we had a great view over the valley and the waterfall was also very impressive. Tomorrow we will hit the road again towards Tam Coc.
See you then,
Malia