Originally we wanted to rent a motor-scooter and ride on our own about 30Km to the Dark Cave and Paradise cave. Many people do that because it's the cheapest option for getting there, and the guided tours they offer here don't add much value. We rented a scooter without any gas and tried to ride it around, but it was very wobbly and hard to steer and control with both of us on it. Guy was sure he would have picked it up in an hour or two of riding, but we decided that this was not a good place to learn. We got as far as the fake gas station and bought 4.5 liters of green fuel in water bottles for 90,000 dong (that's 3.5 shekels per liter), before we decided to give up our motorbike adventure for today and go with someone who already knows how to drive one. I made Guy drop me off at some point and return the bike for a refund, but we told the owner to keep the gas.
It was already after 0900 by then so we decided we wanted to go to the Phong Nha cave and the fairy cave that is right above it. We had breakfast across the street and went back to hear again the tail end of Seamus's welcome talk at the Lonely Tiger hostel next door. At the end of the talk he asked who would like to go to the Phong Nha cave and a nice group of travelers formed. We were 10, which is a perfect amount of people to fill a boat to the cave. The other travelers were mostly Canadian, traveling in couples or alone. One Canadian girl, E, assertively collected money for all the tickets and took the role of tour guide from us, and we were all happy to let her have it.
We went down to the dragon boat harbor on the river and split the cost of a boat. The only practical way to reach these caves is by boat. We arrived and hiked straight up to the fairy cave, Tien Son. Many steps lead to it, Vietnamesen sales people are spread along the way, trying to offer you overpriced water and ice cream.
The cave was not so big but still had some interesting rock formations and some cool air, which was very refreshing after the long climb up in the heat. We walked in the cave, admiring the different formations lit up by colorful lights. At the deepest part we all lay down on a big platform and looked up at the cave ceiling above. Then we headed back down to the boat parking where our boat waited for us.
The boat took us deep into the Phong Nha cave. This cave was used as a stopping point for Viet Cong convoys going south on the Ho Chi Minh trail, and they hid a pontoon bridge inside it to get trucks across the river. The Americans tried to bomb it but the cave mouth is a pretty small target for a missile, and they lost many aircraft here. It was nice seeing the cave from the water, but honestly the cave is not as impressive as the Fairy cave when it comes to rock formations. On the way back it dropped us off at a beach near the cave mouth and we walked the last short bit out of the cave.
We took the boat back to town, and got some lunch near the market. Lunch was pretty slow to prepare for 10 people and was honestly not that great. They must not get so many groups like ours. We split up and headed back to the hotel, and rested until the evening. There was a Canadian guy named J who thought he knew Spanish and German, and tried to flirt with M, a single German girl. Guy taught them to play Nim while we waited for our food and J grasped the game's strategies quickly.
It might sound like we don't do much every day, but really it is very tiring to try and do active things in this impossible heat. It is very tiring to go outside, and go down 4 flight of stairs knowing you will have to climb back up them and take a cool shower.
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