Tour through 2 wonderful caves

Today (23.01.18) we rented a scooter and drove 1h 30 min towards Dark Cave. The way there was extremely adventurous. We drove very comfortably. About 15 meters in front of us a truck. No reason to brake or anything. Suddenly, a whole herd of cows runs across the road in front of the truck. Mom, dad, and 3 calves. Totally confused. The truck slams on the brakes and swerves. We were able to brake, but it was close. After that, we needed a break :D The drive through the mountains was fantastic. Such beautiful nature and a vibrant green. Breathtaking! After we arrived at the Dark Cave, we handed in our things, put on our bathing suits, and off we went. We were given a big life vest, a helmet with a flashlight, and a harness for zip lining. The tour started with a cable car over the water to the other side and to the entrance of the cave. We were quite nervous ! It was high and fast. Once we arrived there, we had our first swimming tour into the cave. The cave was actually dark ! Couldn't even see our own hand. So we had to turn on the flashlights. The only downside was that we were not allowed to bring a camera and I left my glasses there. But later on, it turned out to be a good thing ! We then walked through corridors of sand and mud, about 50 cm wide at most. It was cold and quite slippery. Sometimes we had to climb over a rock. After a short time, Tim increased his pace and made strange noises. He told me not to touch the walls so hard. And I didn't want to know why. Later, he told me that there were hand-sized black spiders and bats on the walls, which luckily I couldn't see without my glasses :D

After a 10-minute walk, we arrived at a water spot. The water there was completely muddy. It was like a real skin peeling, but also kind of gross. We spent 20 minutes there and afterwards we were brown from head to toe :D Then we went into a cave full of crystal-clear water where we could clean ourselves. It was freezing cold but turquoise blue all the way to the bottom. After that, we rode back with the kayak. We were back at the starting point and there was a kind of water playground. Tim and I did zip lining directly into the water twice. Holding on to a rope, zooming and jumping into the water. It was so much fun!! After drying ourselves, we rinsed our clothes as well as possible and drove to Paradise Cave. Before we got there, we sat down at the edge and ate our packed cheese sandwiches. When we arrived at the Paradise Cave, we had the option to walk or take a paid golf cart to get to the cave. We decided to walk and walked there for about 30 minutes. In total, we climbed 570 meters in altitude and arrived at the entrance of the cave, which was inside a mountain. It was truly paradise. I don't even know how to describe it. I've never seen such big stalactites and stalagmites. The cave was probably 30 meters high at its largest point. Maybe it can be best recognized through the pictures. After the cave, we drove back and it was even more dreamy than on the way there. The sun was shining through the mountains. The kids were out of school and spread out. On foot, three on a bike, or on a scooter. Everyone greeted us and we saw kids running somewhere miles away in the middle of nowhere. We wondered where the kids were running to. There's nothing there :D So we won't complain about our morning school or commute anymore! When we were back in Dong Hoi, we visited the market and I bought myself a pair of pants. Then we ate at the hostel and now we're playing SKIP-BO and Vietnam won in football and for almost 2 hours now, mopeds and cars drive here with a thousand people, music, and honking horns. It's a spectacle :D

See you tomorrow