All I wanted was water in the house!

The water tank in our house is supplied via a link to our landladies house, occasionally we run out and have to go round and communicate that we have no water (khong nùoc) so that she can turn the switch. That happened this lunchtime.

So, I called round at her house, just to ask for water, but was invited in. As well as some of her family, there was Nhia (a Son Doong porter who spent Tet guarding the entrance and equipment,  playing cards along with others I didn't know.

I was invited in for a beer and the next thing I know I'm involved in a drinking session of beer and rice wine, and English/Vietnamese lessons using an I-phone translation app.

Where did the afternoon go? I need food, fortunately it's now tea time and we're off to the Vung Hue (the only restaurant open at the moment).

Tet, the Lunar New Year

Tet - Wednesday 18th to Friday 20th and beyond.

Tet is the Lunar New Year, it's a really big thing in this part of the world and as you might expect, the celebrations start before the New Year and go on for at least six days afterwards. 

We had already been to the Oxalis new year bash before we left for Tu Lan and had been shopping to get supplies for any visits made as it is tradition to give gifts to the owners of any houses that you visit, including ‘Lucky Money’ to any children (this year the agreed amount for us to give was 50 000 VND).

Dave, Ruth, Chrissy and Watto at Nguyen's house

At each house that you visit, food is provided, mostly a complete meal but occasionally just snacks, it would be considered rude not to eat so a degree of pacing is required. Beer is also provided and it is really difficult to drink any less than two at each venue as your hosts are very generous, also you should strictly drink an odd number as even numbers are bad luck! Apparently, this year, we were fortunate as we were not offered too much rice wine.

Snacks at Ky's house

Typical snacks on offer were Nuts and Seeds, Sweets and Crystallised Ginger and Carrot and as these appeared before any meal, you had to eat a few to soak up the beers! Typical food on offer at each venue was Spring Rolls, Rice, Beef and/or Pork stir Fry, Stewed Pork, Sticky Rice, Barbequed Pork, Spare Ribs and sometimes fish.

On New Year’s Eve, at around Midnight, a lot of fireworks are set off, these are pretty standard but in addition a number of ‘Bombs’ are set off, these are anything but standard and I can now imagine just how awful it would be to live in a war zone, the noise is incredibly loud and reverberates around the valley. The ‘Bombs’ are left over from the war, I think the locals (some of them, although the sensible ones contact the Mines Advisory Group), when they find an unexploded bomb in the jungle, remove the explosive, portion it up and insert a crude fuse. The fuse is set off, the ‘Bomb’ is thrown and then they run like crazy! All very dodgy and occasionally it goes wrong and somebody is injured or killed.

Some of the Oxalis Guides at Howard and Deb's House

Below is our itinerary, as you can see we were very busy as once you have an invite it is also bad form to refuse unless you have a prior arrangement, in which case it is generally rearranged for a more convenient time.

Wednesday, after our return from Tu Lan;

Dung’s for a swift rice wine (Dung has his own homestay and helps to manage two others including Khanh’s, he speaks excellent English and used to work for Oxalis).

Oxalis with Cho (the Oxalis owner) simply whiskey drinking.

Khanh’s until midnight to see in the New Year and to watch the fireworks and bombs set of around the village (Khanh is the man who found Hang Son Doong, is in charge of all three Son Doong Porter teams and together with his wife Nghia, owns the homestay where we have breakfast).

Dave and Ruth at the Thahn Dat Hotel

Thursday

11.00 - Vung Hue (One of the restaurants where we often eat, all very odd as they opened up just for us and cooked all the things we normally order, but they didn’t actually sit with us!).

16.00 – Landlady (mine and Ruth’s, she lives next door, has two Sons and a Daughter and two Grandsons).

17.00 - Nguyen’s (one of the porter team leaders, Khanh’s brother).

Watto, Luyen, Howard and Adam at the Thahn Dat Hotel

Friday

11.00 - Ky’s (one of the porter team leaders, I think he is Khanh’s Cousin, his wife is one of Nghia’s Sisters).

13.00 - Thahn Dat (the Hotel where the expedition is based).

14.00 - Tu’s (one of the porter team cooks).

15.00 - Uy’s (Assistant Guide at Tu Lan, all-round nice guy, I think his Mother is also one of Nghia’s Sisters).

16.00 - Howard and Deb’s with Oxalis Guides.

17.00 - Ha’s (one of the porter team cooks, married to Nghien (the hairdresser) who is also Nghia’s Sister).

20.00 - Tuan’s (drives the trucks with all the equipment and gear up to the Son Doong drop off point, another all-round nice guy).

Mr Tu and Family

Saturday

7.30 - Special breakfast at Mr Khanh’s which included Whiskey and Sake. Ruth then departs with Howard for her Son Doong Tour, the first of the Lunar new year.

11.00 - Duc’s (the Operations Manager at Oxalis).

11.30 - Bac’s (one of the Oxalis drivers).

17.00 - Nguyen’s (a different one to last time, Howard and Deb’s neighbour).

Watto with Mr Tu's Son

Sunday

Things are beginning to return to normal, no invites and some of the shops are open, a rest day for my bloated stomach!

The pictures were all taken on someones 'phone so the quality may or may not be as good as normal.

Next up for me is a Song Doong tour with six Americans (all related) starting on the 25th, passing Ruth on her way out.

Tu Lan Tour 3

Sunday 15th to Wednesday 18th February

Cao Quang Panorama

My first Tu Lan four day tour, joined by Ruth (who wanted to experience the tour before she does one on her own), eight customers, Tour Guide Thanh, Assistant Guides Uy and Yo, and six porters.

Hopefully I can describe the tour a bit better than last time, the day started early as we picked up the customers from various locations in Phong Nha before the hour and a half drive to the Oxalis centre at Tan Hoa, once there, Thanh gave a briefing and then I set up a practice abseil for all the customers, by the time this was over it was gone one pm and time to leave.

Bug seen during Day Three

From Tan Hoa we walked over fields to an unusual river crossing, unusual because at the crossing the river splits and sinks into two separate caves where it follows different routes and reunites somewhere underground before the final resurgence seen at the Hang Tien camp. After the river crossing we had a short uphill scramble to the entrance to Secret Cave, a short dry cave which emerges in (the) Hung Ton (valley). Lunch was at three pm at the entrance to Hung Ton Dry Cave before two hill climbs (Hung Ton Mountain and Mango Mountain) lead to the campsite in the La Ken Valley. The day finished with a visit to Hang Ken, which included a 200m swim. At this point we learned that one of the customers was not confident in the water, even with a life jacket on.

Hang Ken Entrance

Day two is the main caving day and started off with Tu Lan Dry Cave and an abseil into Tu Lan Wet Cave, from here we paddled downstream in the ‘boats’ for a few hundred metres to a waterfall and then turned around and paddled to the exit. The abseil went well, all the customers enjoyed it and seemed generally impressed by the ‘black space’ that they abseiled into. From the exit there was a short walk back to the Tu Lan campsite and then a further short walk to Hang Kim which started off with a climb up to a large dry cave but this drops down to water and three swims (the first two are optional) before the exit into To Mo Valley. The third and final cave of the day was Hung Ton Wet which was a swim to Hung Ton Dry where a fifteen metre fixed ladder climb gained a short dry passage to the exit where we had had lunch the previous day. After an hour and a half of walking in the rain, up and over a hill we arrived at our camp in La Ken Valley, a very picturesque spot, only slightly spoiled by the amount of cow dung splattered about.

Lunch at Hang Ken

The third day was a long day of walking, along La Ken and up a small hill to drop into Hung Dung, followed by a bigger hill into Hung Ran which is a beautiful walk by a river, the only cave of the day followed; this is a very short cave which involves a ten metre swim and emerges in Hung Ngai where a short difficult section of walking lead to an easy but long walk through a cultivated area and then uphill to a panoramic view of Cao Quang, after another hour of walking we arrived at the Hang Tien Camp which has a beautiful but cold resurgence pool. The final hour is along a riverbank where some of the river crossings can be avoided by log bridges, up to four metres above the ground, the porters use these, Ruth and I some of them, the customers none.

Log Bridge

The last day starts with a visit to Hang Tien, which has an impressively large entrance and takes about twenty minutes to walk to from the camp, once inside the cave we had about two hours of exploring before returning to camp for lunch and then walking out to the road for our lift back to Phong Nha.

Rainy River Crossing

Generally a misty and damp day with the rain increasing as we neared the road, having to sort out equipment in the heavy rain somewhat dampened the mood of the party! However, that was soon to pass, as it was New Years Eve.

Waterfall after the un-named Cave

Minh Tung X26 ATS Review

This is the current top selling item of jungle footwear in Phong Nha but it's equally at home inside the house, on the beach or for minimalist running on or off road, in fact the X26 All Terrain Sandal seems to have no limit as to it's uses. It can truly be said that you could put a pair on in the morning, take a shower, run to your favourite local breakfast place, catch a bus into the National Park, walk through the jungle, swim and cross rivers, climb a mountain and descend a pothole then traverse through the cave before returning in the evening for dinner and beers at your local restaurant, just remember to take them off before you go to bed! The only downside is that they will not take a regular crampon (in case you were unfortunate enough to find a patch of snow or ice, unlikely, as even in the depths of winter the temperature rarely falls below fifteen degrees Centigrade).

X26 ATS in Dark Reddish Browm

So, what is it that makes the X26, made by Cong Ty T.N.H.H of Vietnam, so good; personally I would put this down to a combination of the design, the construction methods and materials and the weight of the sandal. Various foot widths can be accommodated by an ingenious six point buckle system.

Super Highly Flexible

A pair of size EU 43 weigh in at around 50g, helped by the 'state of the art' seamless non-stitch construction and super light-weight alloy buckle. They are made from a special material that is totally impervious to moisture, so even after complete immersion the weight of these shoes will not increase, though that of your socks might!

Grippy Sole, showing Light Reddish Brown Model

The sole unit is grippy on any surface but allows for excellent 'feel' through the shoe and the flexibility ensures maximum contact with the ground beneath. The differential between heel and toe is 4mm + or - 1mm. The tread depth at the forefoot is 2 or 3mm, that of the heel being 4mm deeper at 6 or 7mm.

Three Bar Monogrammed Buckle

The upper is constructed entirely from brown 'flex-stretch' plastic, the insole is constructed from brown 'flex-stretch' plastic, the mid sole is brown 'flex-stretch' plastic and the outsole is also constructed from brown 'flex-stretch' plastic. The three bar buckle is 'pure' alloy, nicely monogrammed with the initials MT.

Insole with Cross Patterning

Other design features of note are: The insole which is imprinted with a 'cross' pattern to (possibly) help to stabilise the foot within the sandal when descending, ascending or contouring. The open toe box, specifically introduced in this model to allow the toes to spread naturally and to speed drainage. A nice finishing touch is the fake stitching which combined with the fake overlaps give this model a stylish yet practical look.

Fake Stitching, Fake Overlaps and Open Toe

It is available in sizes up to EU 43 and in a variety of colours, Light Reddish Brown, Dark Reddish Brown, and assorted shades in between, and can be found at any local jungle supplies shop (just go into the market and turn left) at a cost of 25 000 Dong (20 000VND if you are local, are you local?)

Handy Carry Case

The shoes also come with a handy carry case, complete with the Minh Tung logo, although this may be a limited offer, 'while stocks last'.

Sunbeams

During our first trip into Hang Son Doong, we were lucky that the weather was good and so we were treated to a magnificent display of sunbeams at Doline One which lasted about an hour. Below is a time lapse video of the spectacle.

Apparently this sort of thing only occurs early in the year, as later on when the weather is hotter and more humid, the cave forms its own clouds which block the sun and diminish the visibility.

Dave's first Hang Son Doong tour

Thursday 6th to Monday 10th January

Single Cave Pearl

On Wednesday evening Howard and myself went down to the Oxalis headquarters for the pre-trip briefing with the clients. Along with Watto's wife, Christine, there were nine others, two Vietnamese, two Americans, one German, one Australian, one Indian and two Koreans (Mother and Son) at first glance they seemed a pretty good bunch. After a little talk from Howard there were some forms for them to fill in and then we all sat down to a meal provided by Oxalis, all very pleasant, sat outside and overlooking the river. We were then due to meet them the next day at nine am at Khanh's ready for the bus ride up to the drop off point (we had already sorted all the equipment required for the trip).

Crossing the river after Hang En

Thursday morning arrived and after a quick breakfast while the porters sorted all the kit we waited for the arrival of the clients, surprisingly (according to Howard) they arrived on time so we arrived at the drop off point and set off at around ten am in light rain. At the foot of the hill, we met the first tour as they returned with news that the lake at the far end of the cave had drained, this was unexpected as it had been raining for the previous two days. Because the weather was poor we stopped for lunch at the Doong village and then I led us all out for the final part of the walk in, only getting lost once en-route to Hang En where we camped for the night. The group were all getting on very well and everyone was able to go at the same pace.

Porters on a sunlit boulder by Doline One

Friday was to be one of the longer days, we were to walk to the entrance to Hang Son Doong, lifeline everyone down the entrance climbs and then move on to Camp One where we would camp for the night. Again, we made good time to the entrance (lunch stop) but after that (and for the rest of the cave), progress was much slower as we had to allow for plenty of stops for pictures. The two river crossings were slightly higher than our last visit but not so bad that they were difficult, we stopped at the first crossing for pictures and the second for a quick wash. Arrival at Camp One was at about four pm and the evening meal at five thirty, Witching hour (bed time) was the standard eight pm.

Camp One with Doline One beyond

On Saturday we made steady progress to Camp Two (no sunbeams this time as it seemed to be cloudy or raining) where we dumped our kit before heading down to the end for what we expected to be a 500m muddy walk to The Great Wall of Vietnam and the end of the cave. To our surprise and delight the lake had reappeared so after pumping up the "boats" we set off as a small flotilla of six (two per boat) to the end before returning to Camp Two for our evening meal and bed. A miserable night for me as I had contracted "Man Flu" and was unable to sleep.

Ruth and Deb in Doline One, Doline Two visible over 1k away

It had rained heavily overnight and we had a long day ahead of us as we planned to go all the way to Hang En campsite, assuming that the water levels hadn't risen too much and trapped us in the cave. We stopped for lunch at Camp One before proceeding to the river crossings, which thankfully weren't too high, and then on to the entrance for a quick snack (cancelled as the porter who had the food with him had already gone on to Hang En) before the walk to Hang En. Due to the rain this latter part was a complete mud fest and I was pleased I had packed my Inov8 Mudclaws, others were not so fortunate! Evening meal followed by Paracetamol and an early bed for me in the (vain) hope of getting better by the morning and it was also extremely cold at the camp site with a strong wind blowing through the cave.

Hang Son Doong Entrance

Monday was the final day and an early(ish) start was made so that we would make the road by about two pm. We met Ruth (on the way in for her first tour, with Deb) at the foot of the final hill, where after a quick hello (and passing her an extra warm top so she would be warm enough) and snack we set of up, reaching the road about an hour later.

The Green Gours

Overall, despite the lack of sunbeams, it was an enjoyable trip, all the group were nice and everybody seemed to get on well together.

Hang En Exit

My next tour is going to be the Tu Lan four day expedition, starting on Sunday 15th February and finishing on the Lunar New Years evening (Tet).

Ruc Ca Roong

Friday 30th to Saturday 31st January.

This was a two day, one night trip to assess the possibility of running tours to Ruc Ca Roong, Hang Pygmy (known as Hang En to locals) and Hang Over. On the trip were Myself, Ruth, Ryan (the photographer), Bow (Oxalis Guide), Trinh (National Park representative) and the porters, An, Tu (the cook) and Shern.

The trip started badly when we were detained at our start point for over two hours as it seemed that we didn't have all the correct permissions, this was eventually sorted by having one of the Oxalis Directors driven up to us (over an hours drive away) to discuss the problem with the head of the local committee.

The Walk to Ruc Ca Roong

Once on our way it was an easy downhill walk through a cultivated area to a river, at this point the going got tougher as we followed the river on a sloping bank with hardly any path until we reached Ruc Ca Roong, a fine if short river cave. At the exit there was talk of staying the night but we persuaded the porters to carry on to Hang En Exit, two more hours of walking, which we reached just before dark. After eating, Ruth, Ryan, Bow and I explored the cave, rigging an awkward climb (protected by fence wire) to the Entrance, as it was dark we could go no further, so we returned to camp, reaching this by ten pm, time for bed! Hang En is a massive cave throughout, up to seventy metres high and ninety metres wide, at the exit are awesome bamboo  "walkways" used by locals to get to Swifts nests high up in the cliffs.

Ruc Ca Roong Entrance

The next morning was an early start as we had to be back at camp by twelve so that Ryan could catch his bus/train/plane back to Beijing. Nobody knew where the entrance to Hang Over was, Howard had said it was just three hundred metres away but Shern only knew a route that would take three hours, as we only had two before we had to turn around we decided to try to follow Howard's instructions and fortunately he was correct, Shern's route would have taken us to the other entrance to Hang Over, about two and a half kilometres away! Hang Over (at least the bit we saw) is a fantastic cave with fine formations but all too soon we had to turn around, is was a real pity that we didn't have more time.

Hang En (Pygmy) Exit

Back at the Exit to Hang En we had a quick spot of lunch before packing up for the long walk back. As a bonus we did get to go through another short section of cave, a downstream continuation of the Ruc Ca Roong cave which was part of our route back to the road. Trinh, the National Park guy, who must spend all of his time in an office in Dong Hoi, was completely knackered and struggled to make it out of the jungle, another half hour would have finished him off and we would probably have had to carry him!

The walk between Hang En and Ruc Ca Roong

First Son Doong Trip

Friday 23rd to Thursday 29th January.


We were joined in the house by John and Geraldine a couple of days ago. They stay for a week then will be heading off home. John will be working for Oxalis from the beginning of May.

On the Thursday afternoon (the day before we leave for the trip) we went to Howard's house (Deb went into Son Doong yesterday to set up the ropes etc) to sort out the equipment that will be required for the next few days. This included tents, lights, helmets, rope, lights for photography, radios, first aid kit and so on.

The following morning we met Ryan and David who were going with us into Son Doong that day. Ryan is a photographer and David is a freelance writer. With us we had a team of five porters, An, Tu, Tu, Nia, and Xian. These spellings may not be correct!

Landing the Drone at Hang En Exit

Once all were assembled we hopped onto the bus for the drive up to the drop off point and then set off down the hill, the pace was fast as we were combining two days into one (and both David and Ryan were fit and had previously been to Hang En). We made Hang En in time for an early lunch, then it was off again to the Exit where we stopped for pictures and for Ryan to fly his "Drone", equipped with a GoPro camera, before marching along a new path to Hang Son Doong entrance where we met Deb. The obligatory cup of Tea/Coffee was consumed before heading down to our first view of the entrance, quite small considering the size of the cave beyond. The draft is so strong that all the foliage moves constantly. The entrance climbs had been equipped with hand lines, with only two steep sections where we lifelined Ryan and David (even though they were probably ok without).

First View of Hang Son Doong

At the first river crossing Ryan took some photos which involved us posing in the water for some time whilst the shot was set up. For a lot of this time Dave was kneeling in the water to make it look more epic than it really was! On the way through to camp one Ryan used us all as models or lighting crew, directing us all with walkie talkies as he took photos in various locations.

Porters with loads at the entrance

After passing some massive stalactites, and approximately 500m before Camp One, we climbed up to a view point which looked out over large formations (including The Hand of Dog), Camp One and the First Doline in the distance, an awe inspiring place. Fifteen minutes after leaving the view point we arrived in Camp One where the porters had put up our tents and were ready with more tea and coffee, a ridiculously large evening meal was not far behind. By eight pm we were all ready for bed.
An early start and off through the complex boulder field to the bottom of the steep rise. A hand line was set up here to aid ascent. At the top of the slope there is a magnificent view of the Green Gours and the continuation of the cave.

Doline One

Once into the area of Green Gours we were very lucky that Dave organised a cloud free day so that sunbeams were able to illuminate the whole area. The sunbeams were of the "beam me up Scottie" variety, the whole display lasting over an hour.

Sunbeams in Doline One

Through the Rat Run and into Doline Two passing gours filled with plants all turned to face the light. The walk through the jungle was hot and sweaty and the view down into camp two was very welcome.

Jungle in Doline Two

Camp Two is at first glance on superb white sand but which turns out to be ancient bat guano. When wetted this turns into a paste like substance. Another fine meal and by eight pm we were ready for bed.

Pancakes for breakfast again before heading to the lake, passing the Dogs Bollocks on route and discovering that Dave is a little stiff to be taking up a modelling career. David was due to leave us tomorrow so we set off towards the end of the cave, as far as the lake that leads to The Great Wall of Vietnam, taking pictures on the way before heading back to Camp One. There are some stunning cave pearls in this section of the cave as well as some massive stalactite formations. As we passed Camp Two the sun came out and we were treated to more sumbeams before heading to Camp One via an oxbow that cuts out most of the climb up to Doline One. Another fine meal and by eight pm we were ready for bed.

Camp Two from Doline Two

Mi Tom (noodles with egg) for breakfast before heading out to the entrance to say goodbye to David and to meet the Swedish team from National Geographic who were there to take 360 degree photographs of the cave, a process that was incredibly slow to set up and also included sound recordings where everybody had to be absolutely silent for about fifteen minutes. Fortunately they were able to move quickly when not filming so we made it back to Camp One in time for another fine meal and by eight pm we were ready for bed.

Cave "Potatoes" beyond Camp Two

Pancakes for breakfast and repeat the whole process as we proceeded to the lake at the end of the cave and back to Camp Two for more food and by eight pm we were ready for bed.

Phytokarst in Doline One

After noodles for breakfast we went down to the lake for boat building (with lorry inner tubes) while the Swedes did a bit more photography before making their way back to the entrance and then on to Hang En for the final camp. We caught them up just as they finished climbing out of the entrance but they were long gone when we reached the top at about five thirty. We set off just as it got dark and reached Hang En at about seven, by eight pm we were ready for bed but the evening meal wasn't quite ready so we had to eat that first!

Hang En Sunbeams

The next day was a speedy walk back to the road, the Swedes were quick walkers and we only just kept up on the flat, but when we got to the final hill, their lack of fitness showed and we left them and the guide (but not the porters who are long gone) behind.

A hot shower awaited, but sadly not to be as there was a power cut! Cold showers all round!

Tomorrow we go to Ru Ca Roong for two days.

Tu Lan Caving

Monday 19th to Wednesday 21st Jan

A three day trip to set up and familiarise ourselves with the new offering from Oxalis, a four day 'Expedition' to some of the caves in the Tu Lan area, this tour is to include an abseil which we had to assess and equip. Our first day combined the first two days of the tour, while our second and third days were exactly as the third and fourth days respectively.

Cow Fishing

The Tu Lan caves are a drive of about an hour and a half away from Phong Nha, so after breakfast at Khanh's we were picked up for the drive to the Oxalis centre at Tan Hoa where we collected the kit required for the trip, including hammocks and lifejackets.

The Start of the Walk from Tan Hoa

Once packed we set off along the valley through muddy fields, after about twenty minutes we were at the end of the valley where the river split before sinking in two places into seperate caves, we crossed the river and climbed up the hill a short way to find Secret Cave, a short fossil cave which would take us into the next valley. This is called Hung Ton and we walked along this to Hung Ton Cave where we had lunch and set up camp before walking up a hill and down into the next valley, Tu Lan, we then passed Hang Ken (where the tour would camp for the first night and explore Hang Ken) before entering Tu Lan Dry Cave where we abseiled into Tu Lan Wet Cave and swam out to the entrance, an impressive swim. Then it was through Hang Kim (if you haven't worked it out yet, Hang is Vietnamese for Cave and Hung means valley) into the Mo Valley which we crossed and then entered Hung Ton Cave for another swim them up a ladder to exit via Hung Ton Dry Cave and down to camp.

River Crossing in Hung La Ken

Our second day started with a slog up a big hill on very slippery paths and down into Hung La Ken where the day two camp would be, another climb into Hung Dung, followed by yet another climb into a valley with no name and short swim through a nameless cave into Hung Nhai which was a very long but easy walk to a beautiful camp near Hang Tien.

View from the Hang Tien Camp

The final day started with a short trip into to Hang Tien which is a massive cave entrance and then some easy but pleasant caving down to a sump. After the caving, it was a simple walk out to the road at Cao Quang for the long bus ride back to Phong Nha, this was via Dong Hoi and through some different scenery.

Hang Tien Entrance

Apologies if this has been difficult to follow, I haven't really got a clue where we went! Hopefully it will make a bit more sense once I've been on a few tours and further blog entries might make things a little clearer.