TRAVELLING SOUTH

Desperate for some sun we started south yesterday. We caught the overnight train from Lao Cai to Hanoi, a 9 hour journey, but actually the carriage was comfy and toilet facilities much better than expected!!

This is what we looked like upon arriving in Hanoi - trying to blend in and look like the locals!


From there we got a 10 hour train down to Dong Hoi. We were so excited about seeing sun but all we saw was rain - and paddy fields, lots of paddy fields! It’s certainly given us a new respect for the rice we eat when you see how intensive and hard the work is to grow it.

We arrived late evening at Dong Hoi and fortunately the taxi we had arranged was waiting to take us to Phong Nha which is a national park with primary forest and amazing caves. When we arrived we wondered what on earth our accommodation was going to be like but it turns out it’s comfortable, food is good and right on river.

View from our accommodation. Restful River view

View of accommodation from river

Today we did a planned tour of two of the caves that the area is famous for, Paradise cave and Phong Nha cave. The first involved a steepish climb for a kilometre or so then 300 steps down into the cave itself but it was so worth it. We walked through beautiful forest and the cave was extraordinary, the largest dry cave in Asia. Sorry about all the photos but it was amazing!!

We then had lunch and were taken by the local boats to Phong Nha cave, a wet cave that we paddled through in the boat then walked through the last 500m. Also beautiful in its own right.

Off to Hue and the coast tomorrow and then the big bike adventure!