The other side of bipolar.

After the bus ride, we were of course exhausted but it was worth it. We were driven to a remote resort with motorcycles (including luggage). The friendliest Vietnamese woman in the world immediately took Baras backpack (which was about the size of her) and greeted us, showing us our bungalow. This could be the most beautiful resort in the world. The initial euphoria never left us here. The resort is excellent in every way: the staff and service are outstanding, everything looks beautiful, the food is amazing, and there are many animals like ducks, chickens, piglets, cats, and puppies. A bungalow costs only 20.- per night (including breakfast and water). We could hardly believe it. Next question: What did we do? First of all, we always went around on the Vespa.

On the first day, we visited the Phnong Nha Cave. You can only reach it by a small boat and paddle through the impressive cave. Afterwards, you can walk back a bit on your own, as it is the dry season and the cave is not completely flooded. Unfortunately, no one spoke English again and we did not understand how to get back or which boat to take. We couldn't find our boat, so we just went back with any boat. We had lunch by the river and relaxed, and after 1.5 hours, the people (probably Vietnamese) who came with us on the boat were upset because they had waited for us for 1.5 hours. Hmmm... on the one hand, we felt sorry for them, but on the other hand, we wondered why no one spoke English when we asked if anyone spoke English and explained how to get back. But when they were angry with us, they suddenly spoke English. We spent the rest of the day chilling by the pool.

The second day was long. First, we went to the Dark Cave early in the morning. The tour is done only in swim trunks, life jacket, and helmet. It starts with a zip line ride. Then you have to swim to the cave. With a guide, you walk through the dark cave and into smaller, more remote caves through very narrow dark passages (no lighting - only headlamps). This would definitely not be for claustrophobic people, and even for me (=Barbara = afraid of bats because they look like flying rats and sleep on your head - that's not normal, right?!), it was a test of courage. We reached a mud bath where we bathed in the mud ('very good for your skin'). To get back to land, you can use a kayak, where you can jump into the water with a second zip line.
Then we went to the largest cave, the Paradive Cave. First, you walk 2km and then another 1km uphill. But it's worth it. The cave, which is up to 72m high and 150m wide, is so impressive on such a large scale that it cannot be described or photographed. We were totally blown away!
But then we were totally exhausted. Well, because we are such crazy people, we also went to the Botanic Garden. However, it was not as spectacular as in the pictures, because there was hardly any water and the waterfall was practically non-existent. We then decided to relax on the third day and spent most of our time by the pool, which was really nice for a change.
Overall, the three days were simply amazing!