SD 24

Jumping for fruit

So, another week, and another Hang Son Doong tour, this time with Watto. As well as the normal quota of porters, there were others in the cave who were doing a bit of tidying up and fixing, more on that later.

Do you expect me to go there?

One of the jobs was to put directional signs for the toilets (as these are not always visible from the camps). Just one problem with the signs, they only pointed left! The porters were gong to have to get creative with their sign placements.

Hang En, between the entrances

It was a lovely warm and pleasant first day walk to Hang En with no drama and no rush, a pleasant change after my last Tu Lan tour, and, although I didn't know it yet, the calm before the storm (see next blog post)! The porter team even had time to stop by a large tree to collect some small bitter fruit, they all seemed to like it, even if it wasn't to Western tastes.

River valley walk

After Hang En, we had the usual walk along the valley bottom before the climb up to the entrance to Hang Son Doong. I haven't posted many pictures of Critters so far this year so I'm on the lookout for new ones to show (or simply better pictures of those seen last year). There's two below and expect more. Don't get too squeamish, they really can be quite beautiful if you look closely.

Marvelous moth

Spotted this beautiful moth on the path up to the entrance, I couldn't get a decent picture (shaky old hands!) until a client lent me his tripod.

Sweat munching butterflies (can you spot them?)

Another hot day, so after the climb up to the entrance, the clients had sweated a bit, this proves very attractive to butterflies, one 'brand' simply couldn't get enough from this Buff.

Witch in the mist

Inside the cave was very misty, it seems the hotter it is the more the mist and cloud forms, not great for pictures but very atmospheric.

Old fossil, rather like the cave safety experts!

The group were not the quickest, so we arrived at Camp One a little later than average, but there was still time for a quick trip down to the Fossil Passage for those that still had the energy (only three!). On my last tour I spotted a really good example so this time I went in to photograph it, it had moved! So I couldn't find it, maybe next time?

Camp One

Back at Camp One, the cave was still misty and damp so no drying of any clothes here (as usual). However the cooks really excelled themselves with their presentation, and of course the tastiness of the food.

Tasty food

We were still being followed by directional signs for toilets, could have been very confusing and dangerous to try to go where the signs were pointing at times? Fortunately no one was desperate and in a rush to go!

Where's the light switch? I can't see where to go!

The mist continued to follow us through the cave, so the sunbeams in Doline One were not as good as they could have been, although I shouldn't complain as this was the first time I had seen them properly this year.

Garden of Edam before the storm

It was misty all the way to the second doline and the Garden of Edam, and then a thunderstorm struck. In seconds the cave went from virtually zero visibility to crystal clear, amazing.

Garden of Edam seconds later

We all waited in the dry for the storm to pass before making our way to Camp Two, and then, as usual to The Great Wall of Vietnam and the end of the cave for clients.

View from my tent in Camp Two

Earlier in the year, the porter team were improving the paths in Doline One when they found two bomb fragments, these were on display where we normally stop for 'photos but one disappeared, on this trip it had re-appeared so on the way back I nipped up into the doline to take some pictures. I'm sure the Americans were not trying to bomb the cave (after all, no one new it existed then) but the pilot was probably just dumping his load into the jungle and one bomb happened to explode near the top of the doline, throwing some fragments into the cave.

Bomb bits

Back at Camp One, the porter work party were busy constructing new toilets. The old ones, which are made of wood (and this camp being continually damp), had got rather mouldy and were falling apart.

Constructing the toilet

Back in the jungle and on the way back towards Hang En, I spotted this spider, probably the best one I've seen in Vietnam. The body is about two centimetres across and if you look closely at its head you can see a smiling face.

Isn't it cute?

And so that was it, another tour over, except for the walk out to the road. As it was due to be very hot we had an early start, making for good visibility during the first part of the walk back and good views back to Hang En.

Hang En Entrance

No rest for the wicked so the next day I'm straight back out on a Tu Lan four day tour.

Washing day