The song for today’s blog is one I like to listen to a lot, I find the video hilarious and it’s appropriate that we went to the Fat Pig for mom’s birthday celebration, we were off to stay for a couple of nights on Monkey Island and Chrissy had developed a type of ‘Chicken Tourette’s’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq7ASMbOpmo

I mentioned before that Chrissy is a fellow CWAG. This is similar to the term WAG which is used in the UK to describe Footballer’s Wives and Girlfriends who are usually to be found being ladies of leisure, going to soirees and drinking wine while their famous footballer husbands earn the money and keep them in the manner in which they’ve become accustomed. Chrissy’s husband does the same job as Captain Caveman (my boyfriend) and often they are unable to attend functions due to them being away at work so it’s been deemed appropriate that Chrissy and I attend on their behalf. The term came about 3 years ago when the boss of Oxalis invited us to an evening meal for all the staff and some local VIPs and we were introduced as the ‘Caver’s Wives & Girlfriends’ aka the CWAGs and it’s been our name ever since. There have been others join and leave the group as well as some honorary CWAGs along the way.

We had a 4 hour drive to Ha Long Bay port with our guide, David, who helpfully explained the Vietnamese tonal part of the language by demonstrating the difference between Watermelon, Pineapple and Coconut ( which are all called ‘dua’ but with slightly different pronunciations). At the port we had to board our Apricot 3 boat via tender due to there being lots of officials about the place – we all had to have our life jackets on too. We checked in to our cabins and were very impressed with the photographer for the brochure’s skills. The boat could have done with a bit of tarting up but our cabins were fine, next door to each and at the back of the boat within easy reach to the back steps up to the restaurant and bar. A massive lunch was served and Dad wasn’t too happy as there was far too much and a lot would end up going to waste. While slowly sailing along David explained a bit of the history of Ha Long Bay and how the limestone rocks were formed, he also helpfully pointed out all the rocks that looked like chickens (we were having trouble seeing it for ourselves). From then on every time David mentioned chicken, Chrissy did a farm-yard impression of a chicken clucking which continued throughout the trip, whenever anyone mentioned chicken.

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In the afternoon we were taken to look at Surprise cave and we all made the short climb up the steps and walk along the path inside. The two main surprises of the tour are the vast number of tourists taking selfies and generally getting in the way of other tourists, as well as a phallic rock that mom declined on having a rude selfie with.

Back on the boat we were quite cool and I was glad of the jacket I’d bought in Hanoi, the air was fresh and the scenery still good but we all passed on the kayaking. We did, however, participate in the Happy Hour and free sangria at sunset, followed by quite a lot of wine with dinner. It might have been a bad idea to have the Tequila, especially as they were big measures and the lime was sliced so thinly it was ineffective – my mom had to eat the lime with skin and pips while another of us had to use the sleeve of their fleece to be sick down after shouting for a bowl but not getting one.

Later as all the boats settled in the bay for the evening we got on the karaoke and felt sorry for the quieter boats nearby who probably weren’t having as much fun as us. We made friends with a lovely French woman who sang ‘Joe le Taxi’ and I teamed up with a fun girl, still in her swim wear, to murder a Whitney Houston song.

Today’s blog is accompanied by a song that I like that is also the name of a great bar that we visited in Hanoi. I saw Professor Green live on a Monday night in Sheffield and he was amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIhgVhTmrks

It was cooler in Hanoi and there had been some storms during the night. We met for breakfast on the 8^th floor of Home Hotel where there was a really good buffet of western and Vietnamese choices, they also offered omelets and pho brought to the table for you. The chocolate croissants and bread rolls were really nice and I had quite a few while looking out of the large panoramic window at the views of West Lake.

We took a taxi to the Old Quarter and paid our deposit for the forthcoming Ha Long Bay cruise before trying our luck with the Hanoi traffic as we walked a few minutes towards the famous Hoan Kiem Lake. I bought a waterproof jacket as the weather looked a bit like it would rain. As it was a weekend the traffic wasn’t permitted on the road around the lake so it made it a little easier to walk around. We went to the red bridge and I pointed out where the water puppet theatre was and then we decided it was time for a drink – a smoothie at a place on the 5^th floor of a building overlooking the fountain, called Avalon.

While we were admiring the views from the open balcony we had calls to let us know that Chrissy was on her way and that the Oxalis Adventure Tours team was near the Post Office at a display stand. Chrissy arrived and we got a round of beers in (she’s a bad influence) before ordering some snacks for lunch.

After lunch we went to the Oxalis stand and had a photo of us ‘in Hang Son Doong’, the biggest cave in the world before heading back to the hotel.

I’d booked a table at the Fat Pig for dinner, invited our friends Gary, Hanh and Hung to join us at 7pm for pork dishes and smoked sangria. I’d been before and enjoyed the pork ribs so we ordered a mixture of things to try – the pork crackling with apple sauce is amazing. We had a good time and although my parents were still on UK time we managed to stay up fairly late, drinking wine/beer. Despite the celebrations we knew we had an early start the next morning as we had to be over at Ma May street for our bus pick up at 8am, ready for our cruise aboard the Apricot 3.

https://youtu.be/9jK-NcRmVcw

I chose this song because I had been counting down the days ‘til my parents would come to visit in Vietnam. It was also the anniversary of me seeing the band support Foreigner in my home city of Sheffield, with a friend and my parents – the song holds great memories for me.

Anyway, my parents were visiting for 2 weeks and I’d planned the itinerary to try and see a bit more of the country as this was there second visit to Vietnam. Two years ago they flew in to a very hot Saigon before coming to Phong Nha (also very hot) and then going to Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An. This holiday they would fly in to Hanoi where we would stay a couple of nights before taking a 4 day trip to Ha Long Bay and Monkey Island with my fellow CWAG (Caver’s wives and girlfriends), Chrissy. I had also booked a couple of days in Mai Chau where Captain Caveman would come too, in between his cave tours. There would be just a few days spent in Phong Nha and Dong Hoi at the end of the holiday this time.

I was looking forward to seeing my parents having not seen them for 7 months and was hoping they would enjoy seeing some of the north of Vietnam as well as seeing how Phong Nha had changed in the last 2 years. I was also looking forward to being a lady of leisure again and enjoying being a tourist for 2 whole weeks. It was also my mom’s 65^th birthday, mother’s day and my dad’s birthday within the first week, so lots to celebrate.

I caught the overnight train from Dong Hoi to Hanoi late on the Thursday evening, I had a soft sleeper bottom bunk (for 470,000 VND) and slept really well due to the beers I’d had before departure. I’d left Captain Caveman at Beachside Backpackers in Dong Hoi, a gorgeous little bar and hostel right on the beach, as he was off on a cave tour the next day and would  join us in Hanoi the week after.

I arrived at the airport early. There is a number 86 bus that runs from the train station in Hanoi to the airport and goes via the main areas of Hanoi such as West Lake and Hoan Kiem and costs about 30,000 VND.  I had already booked us a couple of rooms at Home Hotel which is on Yen Phu Street in the Tay Ho District of Hanoi. I’d stayed here previously with Captain Caveman and thought it was a good location and value for money, we were there for 2 nights and I didn’t know if my parents might have jetlag so wanted a comfy bed for them.

I waited at the airport armed with my own luggage and a bunch of red roses for my mom, whose birthday it was that day.  I could see them waiting for their luggage and the hotel driver was already waiting with me when the eventually walked out. We were all so happy to see each other and mom was surprised at the flowers. It took us less than an hour to get through the busy traffic of Hanoi and to our hotel. The hotel charged us $18 for a pick up and it was a big car with plenty of luggage space.

As is often the case with me, I’d left getting my legs waxed until the last minute and so had arranged for Quy, a lady recommended on Hanoi Massive Facebook group, to meet me at the hotel – she will come to your room for massage, treatments, waxing etc and is really good without being too expensive. As we checked in we were told that we had been given an upgrade to the Executive Suites (next door to each other) which was a nice surprise for mom’s birthday. They don’t have big enough vases for bunches of flowers though, so mom made do with the bin which she propped up at the edge of the corner bath.

While I was checking my parents room, Quy had called to say she was here, in fact it turned out she had arrived before us and had saw us check in. My parents had a rest and unpacked and after Quy had gone we got ready and went off for a meal to celebrate mom’s birthday. We took a short taxi ride to a place called Dalcheeni (a lovely Indian restaurant on Xuan Dieu) where we got a much needed beer and ordered soup starters, mains, rice and nan bread plus a bottle of white wine. It was a nice meal and quite low-key for a 65^th birthday celebration but we had a good laugh. We even walked over to Republic afterwards and sat on the terrace upstairs drinking another bottle of white wine. My mom was unaware that I’d organised a birthday celebration for the next evening and invited some friends along to help us celebrate.

 

 

 

It’s been over 6 months since I had my hair cut or dyed so today I took a last minute trip to our local Hairdresser in Phong Nha. We call her Onion and she is really good with the scissors as well as doing a good job with colouring, shaving and even manicures. Onion also does one of the best head massages and hair wash combos I’ve ever had.

The building is far from the fancy salons of Toni & Guy and very basic compared to my own hairdresser back in the UK however Onion always knows what to do to make your hair look so much better than when you arrived.

Onion is the sister-in-law to the infamous Ho Khanh, her ‘salon’ is in a small building situated about halfway between Ho Khanh’s and Oxalis Home, on the right-hand side as your going towards town – it’s near a small church building opposite a small junction. There are no markings or name above the door but it has some blue wooden shutters on the window that will be closed when there is bright sun, cold weather or rain.

Today’s hair colouring didn’t go as planned as I arrived with some hair dye that I bought in Hanoi (and was meant to be a dark brown colour). I had a hair cut, the colour was applied and after the head massage and a face wash resembling less severe waterboarding I was ready for my blow dry.

The colour had turned the grey part of my hair a bright pink and the bottom of my hair was more a dark brown. It looked ok but a bit patchy and Onion wasn’t happy with my hair colour. She asked the other customers their opinion too and we all agreed it wasn’t my best look yet.

Onion doesn’t speak English and I don’t speak Vietnamese so the colour chart was brought out and much pointing ensued until she decided she would start again. She mixed up a dish of ‘Vietnamese Brown’ and reapplied to my hair.  The ritual was repeated and I finally emerged with normal looking hair and a great cut for less than 5 dollars. Even the other customers, who’d been kept waiting longer than necessary because of me, said it looked ‘dep’ (beautiful) but then the Vietnamese are such a polite bunch.

 

An appropriate song for my next blog as I ramble on about the state of the Phong Nha pooch population.

There are lots of dogs in Phong Nha and most of them are allowed to roam about as they like, getting in to all sorts of mischief – from rolling in cow pats, killing chickens and barking a lot.

Recently a few of the favourite dogs have died which has been terribly sad.  It seems that there has been a distemper type of virus that some of the weaker or younger dogs didn’t survive.

The one dog that I could live without in Phong Nha did survive and on my way in to town recently it jumped in to the road and ran alongside my bicycle. He normally barks at me but this time he didn’t and went straight for my foot, holding the heel of my trainer in his mouth while I tried to cycle. He was growling and so I screamed and tried to kick him away but then he barked and snapped at me. It was in the middle of the day so eventually he relented and went off to bully a nearby dog.  On the way home later, it was dark, and so I was looking out for him as I rode past where he lives but I did not see him.  Instead I have seen other dogs nearer home running up to my bicycle and chasing me home, the naughty canines. The dogs here are certainly good guard dogs, except for the ones you sometimes see ‘stuck together’.

 

 

Here’s a ‘flashback Friday’ story for you. It’s still the wedding season here in Phong Nha. I went to one last Monday and am looking forward to an invite to another this coming Monday.  Below is about one I attended 2 years ago.

 

When you get an invite to a Vietnamese wedding you are given a time slot. They range from early morning through to about 4pm and as far as I know the later the slot the more likely it is that you are closer friends or relatives to the bride and groom.
Once your time slot is finished you leave the wedding. The bride and groom drink with each table during that time slot but they don’t sit down or eat. Instead of long speeches a few words are said by the best man, mother, friends etc and then they sing a song!
We were invited, along with everyone from Oxalis to the 4pm slot and as Captain Caveman couldn’t make it I went instead. We got a bus for all of us and travelled about an hour over very bumpy road. As we arrived the best man and his girlfriend welcomed us and sat us down at tables with a burner on each and plates of uncooked food. A waitress put the burner on and told me to wait for the water to boil and then put the tray of prawns and squid in (I think that’s what she said anyway, as she thrust a tray of raw seafood at me).
The food and beers were free flowing and we ate and drank very well. By 5pm other guests were leaving but we stayed. I was only one of two English guests within the group to go into the crowd and shake hands with all the relatives. They didn’t speak English but one guy in a sharp suit said he was from the Mafia and I remembered how to say nice jacket (au đẹp) and everyone laughed and shook our hands more and did cheers with beers.
It was such a good atmosphere but then, all of a sudden, it was the end.
We decided to go on to a karaoke with the bride and groom and their friends. Hilarious!
All the other English group left about 7pm but I stayed with the vietnamese, plus a couple of westerners from Oxalis. The bus back was lively with very loud music and dancing in the isles and we stopped off at Oxalis office for a copious amount of whisky. That’s why I was awake at 6am with a hangover!!! 

https://g.co/kgs/ONzQ5d

There’s a wedding shop in Phong Nha and it does very good passport photos. Yesterday I stopped by the regular photo printing shop and asked if they could take me some 4×6 photos so that I could use them for my visa on arrival, I’d been advised they did 8 for 30,000 dong. Unfortunately the man who was just about to tuck in to an early lunch said no. The wedding shop man was great and had me sit in a room with a white sheet behind me while he took my picture. He showed me the image on his camera and then went outside to load to the computer. While I was waiting I noticed he was highlighting a section of the photo where my cheek was and then drawing an outline around my lips. It was only when he selected a lovely shade of pinky-red to colour my lips in that I realised he was touching up the image to make me look better. Passport photos back where I’m from are usually known for being bad, so now I’m going to be handing over pictures at the airport that have been slightly enhanced. If I hadn’t stopped him I would’ve looked like I was a mix of Dita Von Teese and the Mona Lisa – I’m not even sure it was an improvement! It cost me 50,000 dong for 8 but they are very good quality.
Of course I had to choose Def Leppard as the song, they’re from my home town – I could easily have looked like a clown if he’d continued!

I never thought I’d be posting a Bobby Cliff song while writing about how I ended up spending Australia day, but then there is a lot of firsts for me on my travels.

Easy Tiger had advertised that they would be having a cricket match and some other games to celebrate Australia day.  In my ignorance I will admit that until I visited Vietnam a couple of years ago I hadn’t heard of Australia day and so this would be the first time I’d been involved in any celebrations of it. A few days before the event the weather had been particularly rainy and so it was touch and go whether it would be held on a muddy field or somewhere more hardy.

It wasn’t my intention to actually play but when the numbers seemed low at first I decided to have a go.  I’ve never been a sporty person, I wasn’t really dressed for it and I still can’t catch a ball very well –  I was destined to be a loser at cricket before I’d started.

My first injury came when I tried to catch a ball that Captain Caveman had hit towards the outside seating area. The tyre seats had been moved but the concrete had some standing water and was slippy so my sandals weren’t able to stop me slide into the round tables where I landed with one boob on the table but my bum and legs on the floor – it hurt but I got up and carried on for a bit.

More people came to join and so I had a bit of a break and a few beers to numb the pain, but then it was my turn to bowl.

My second injury came when I bowled my first ball and it was batted expertly back at me hitting me in the face and knocking my glasses to the floor. The Aussie batsman was shocked himself as he was sure I would catch him out but I’d not kept my eye on the ball that came so fast at my face and was a bit stunned. Luckily my glasses were in one piece and we were only playing with a tennis ball.

After that I sat down and watched the match while eating the delicious hot dogs and drinking beer to numb more pain. The sun stayed out and the Easy Tiger car park was later turned from cricket pitch to a thong (flip-flops to you and me) throwing court.  It’s more difficult than it looks to throw footwear on to a tyre.

When I woke up the next day I could hardly move and had a massively bruised chest, luckily my face was fine and no black eyes, I think cricket is not my game.

 

Today’s post has a funky feel for a Monday Morning – and this is the first time I’ve seen the video to the song that I loved as a kid.

 

Before the end of the Lunar year in Vietnam it is customary to clean things in readiness for the new year, especially prior to the celebrations starting. On the day before TET eve (similar to 30th December in the UK) Captain Caveman and I decided we would cycle in to town for breakfast and on the way there he would get his bicycle washed. We pulled up at the ‘car wash’ where there was a significant amount of motorbikes already in line for a wash and their owners were sat waiting.

We took a seat next to some other customers who happened to be some of Captain Caveman’s colleagues. They passed us a beer and even though it was before 10am and we’d had no breakfast, we accepted and started drinking with them.

While both our bikes got a thorough washing we did ‘cheers’ and smiled a lot with the group of men and drank beer, we laughed as one of the men pointed out to Captain Caveman two girls and said ‘dep’. We all laughed when I replied ‘yes, pretty’ because he was embarrassed I understood. Captain Caveman called him a dirty old man and some of the others laughed at him, while he blushed.

After about half an hour our bicycles were washed and looked as good as new so we got up and tried to pay for beer and the wash – the beer was free and only 20,000 dong for 2 bike washes. Not a bad morning – 70 pence (less than a dollar) for 2 beers and 2 bike washes.

 

On the last morning of the trip we woke early in the beautiful Hang En for an early breakfast. The Oxalis staff had discussed that they thought it would be quite a hot walk back and as a group we were all keen to set off before it became too hot to tackle the steep hill at the end. As we retraced our steps of the first day I noticed that there seemed to be fewer river crossings than I remember and the walk felt a little quicker.  I had not taken any photos of the way there and for most of my trip had not actually taken any pictures until we were at a rest stop. I had used a GoPro for the first time and was wondering how that might work out, especially as most of my footage had been in darkness so may not have come out. Captain Caveman was at the front of the group so was able to take some photos as we headed back across the river and towards the bottom of the hill.

The hill back up to the road was the hardest part of the trip for me. Even though I had come down the hill once already on day one it was easy to forget the steepness of it. Despite having been down and back up it once before when I did a Hang En trip, I had certainly forgotten what it felt like to walk up it. I was lucky that Captain Caveman had already gone on ahead – he was on a back to back tour so was keen to get to the starting point to meet his next guests. I was in very capable hands with our other cave expert who was encouraging as I found myself at the back of all the others by a good ten minutes. By the time we reached the top I was so hot that I had had to take off my top and just walk with my sports bra on.  We weren’t far off the top when Captain Caveman came back down with his new group and a can of orange drink for me – it tasted amazing and spurred me on for the final hurdle. One of my fellow trekkers gave me ice from the box of drinks that awaited us at the end and our guide told me to put my top back on so we could have some group photos before the porters left us to get in our bus back to Oxalis.

When we got back I was dropped off at home and I had the quickest but most desperately needed shower ever – even in cold water it felt good to wash my hair. I then cycled to Oxalis to meet the others for a lunch of beer and noodle soup, both of which went down so well. I achingly cycled back with mine and Captain Caveman’s wet, dirty clothes (with the help of my friend and neighbor, Chrissy). There was more than one bike basket full of smelly, muddy garments so I was keen to get it in the washing machine.  In the evening we were all invited to the Saigon Phong Nha hotel for a celebratory dinner and presentation which was hosted by our guide. The food was not as good at the hotel as we had eaten in the cave and so we moved on in to town for drinks.

At Easy Tiger the beers were flowing and I got up and sang with the band while the group clapped and danced along with others. I cycled back from town late and drunk, glad that I had already packed my bag – my visa expired the next day so I had a 7am taxi pick up to take me to the airport. I was off to Bangkok for a few days, via Saigon.
I should’ve been fitter and I wasn’t prepared mentally to take on some of my fears but the place is magical and feels like it is not of this world, mystical even.  I was, and still am, in awe of all the people that work on the tour to make the trip so good. From the porters carrying all of our stuff while wearing plastic sandals, to the amazing chef and the team who fed us amazing meals, I couldn’t believe how much hard work went on. The guides and assistant guides who showed skill and patience, in equal measures with each guest, were a massive part of the trip for me. I was overwhelmed to have had the chance to go to work with my partner, Captain Caveman, seeing how fantastic he is at his job and how much passion and respect he has for the job that he does in the place he calls his ‘office’. Despite all of my shortcomings it was one of the most remarkable journeys I have ever been on.

My song choice for today’s ‘throw back Thursday’ and for the penultimate day of my trip is more for the words than because I’m a fan.

On the way back from the lovely Camp 2 back to Camp 1 we navigated the same terrain of steep drops, rocks, ropes, safety lines and water with a slightly alternative route and less photo stops. Although my legs were weaker, I was in better shape than I had expected physically. My upper body ached the most and I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to pull myself up the 80m entrance to Son Doong.
I decided to go last on the way out, that way I could picture the rest of the team tucking into a feast and drinking champagne in an attempt to give me the mental power to get myself out quicker.
The fellow trekker behind me decided to be a gentleman and let me go before him so I was second to last and everyone, as far as I know got out without incident.
Our assistant guides were at the bottom and I didn’t check my harness was tight enough in my eagerness to get into the light again. I almost managed the first sections without slipping but ended up with one of the assistant guides having to put his foot under mine. The next section I found akin to trying to climb a big glacier mint with roller skates on and I lost it, swinging about in my harness and squealing. I grazed my elbow again and had to be manhandled with a shove on the bum with the assistant guide shouting ‘stand up’ at me.
The last bit of it I made a meal of as my arms were so weak and it was at this point I realised I wouldn’t last long if I had to hang from a window ledge of a burning building.
When I eventually got to the top my harness straps were round the back of my knees and I could hardly walk out of the entrance. There were high fives all round that we were out; I was particularly amazed I’d managed it with only having broken a finger nail, not bones.

On the way back down to Hang En Captain Caveman lead me and one of the porters a slightly different route (the porter’s one) as the others were quite a bit ahead of us – it was slippery, muddy and had leaches but wasn’t too taxing except for the quick pace.
Whenever I said I couldn’t keep up Captain Caveman promised me a beer but I didn’t believe him even when he said it to try and get me to beat the others back.
When we arrived at Hang En I was surprised to find we were the first back and so I stripped off to my pants and sports bra ready to take a dip and have a wash. We had a few leaches on us but one had latched on to my neck and was feeding so Captain Caveman had to get it off. There was blood and the mark only disappeared a week later.
The best things that day were washing each other’s backs in Hang En and having a beer at dinner (he wasn’t kidding). My last night was spent eating like a pig on the wonderful food before sleeping pretty well in the tent nearest the water.

An appropriate song to listen to as you read my next installment of my journey to the end of Son Doong – got to love a bit of Status Quo.

The men of the group snored very loudly on the second night in camp 1 and although Captain Caveman had one of the best spots for our tent, I was very tired on the third day. Some of the ladies in the team were doing a few yoga stretches before breakfast but the most I’d managed was standing on one leg to put my wet trainers on. Captain Caveman had said that other groups often found day 2 the hardest so day 3 would be easier and was the day we would reach the end and depths of the Son Doong cave.
We started the day with lots of steep, rocky climbs, first up and then down, we had lunch at the infamous doline 1. This in itself was beautiful but made me nervous due to the definition of a doline being where the roof of the cave has fallen in and so is exposing the sky. I had lots of questions about being trapped and falling rocks that nobody else seemed to be concerned about. We were lucky to see sunbeams coming through the doline and we were also treated to more yoga poses from the ladies who took up various tricky stances for the photos. The level of yoga was too advanced for me so I tucked into a chocolate bar (yes we were given KitKats) and watched from afar. Meanwhile Captain Caveman was up a huge stalagmite doing a time lapse video on his camera phone. I needed the loo and to my amazement there was an actual man-made toilet around the corner and over some calcite rocks.

We walked more and for some of it over grippy rock but on steep paths, we saw cave pearls and encountered more slippery rocks that really were not my friends. By this time my bruises were black and I was desperate and determined to finish this expedition. We stopped at the edge of a cliff and could see our next campsite below us, after another lot of scrambling over the rocks we reached camp 2. The assistant guide had a cup of tea ready for me, our tent was again in a great spot on what felt like a soft sandy beach and I started to take off my trainers.

 

Day 3 did not end there, as Captain Caveman reminded me to keep my shoes on and grab stuff for washing, we were off to the lake. We were fortunate that it was early in the season as the lake dries up and leaves a big muddy area in front of the Great Wall of Vietnam (the end of the cave passage). I hate mud and love water so although I was tired I was up for this bit – how hard could it be to paddle in a boat across a lake, see the Great Wall, paddle back and then have a wash at the edge of the lake.
This was one of the scariest sections of the tour; first we walked for an hour through sand then more rocks and got to the boats which were as big as bathtubs and very unstable. I had the best rower (Captain Caveman had rowed a lot in his youth) but it was pitch black and huge. I cried and sat as still as possible so we didn’t tip over and Captain Caveman had the camera on filming me as we finally made it to the end and I touched the rope attached to the Great Wall, which could be used as an emergency exit. We got back to where we got in the boat so the next few people could go in and we had a wash and I washed my hair before walking back, getting dirty and sweaty again. At Camp 2 I was overwhelmed that I’d done it and had tears of joy followed by fear that tomorrow we would reverse the trek to get out. That night I decided to celebrate with a couple of nips of vile tasting rice wine and I thought of how good a beer would taste instead.

Day 2 of the Son Doong experience started with yoga stretches at our camp in Hang En followed by chatter of who had had the rat in their tent last night. After a pho bo breakfast I put on my new Salomon trainers in readiness for slippery rocks and we set off towards the exit of Hang En via a sandy slope up, and rocks down towards the river. We crossed the river and after a wash out of our shoes we started the steep winding climb towards the Son Dong entrance. On the way there were a few really scary and claustrophobic bits for me but after a couple of instances where I stopped breathing I was ok. My pace was slow on the uphill and I wasn’t confident with my shoes on any steep or slippery parts. I knew that after lunch we would be descending 80 metres into Son Doong via a series of ropes and the fear that we would be in a harness and clipped on made me even more wary. I wanted to turn back.

After a lunch of spring rolls and some crackers that tasted of Belgian waffles it was time to go to the entrance of Son Doong. By the time I’d been to the toilet a couple of times Captain Caveman had already gone on ahead and our guide asked if I would help the porters say ‘May I take your harness off?’ for when we got to the bottom.
Before I could tell anyone I wanted to turn back I found myself being strapped in to a harness by an assistant guide who was fiddling about with the buckles on my thighs. It’s fair to say I have trust issues so I found the other cave expert and asked him to tighten it, as it felt loose. The rest of our group was ready and Captain Caveman and I had already decided I would go first so that I wouldn’t panic – it didn’t work. There was a little crawl of a few metres that I’d got myself worked up about and had a bit of hyperventilating as I passed my backpack to the guide, who had gone ahead. A fellow trekker was close behind me, with a Yoda backpack on, so I asked him not to come through until I was at the other side, so that I had the option to retreat if I needed. Once through it was still a little walk to the climb down which was awkward in a harness.
The guide clipped me on to a rope and then I had to lean back and walk down backwards, it wasn’t vertical but it felt it. I was shaking like a leaf and sweating – I looked into the guide’s eyes and said ‘do not let me die’ & he replied that he wouldn’t. There were 3 or 4 rope bits and I had completely forgotten what to do to unclip and clip on to the next ropes so I think I got help with a couple of those. I remember thinking not to look down but that was impossible with instructions from the team to put my foot ‘here’ & ‘there’. It was harder than I thought and I scraped my elbow when I slid down a little way because my trainers lost grip. I regretted going first but knew if I’d been last I wouldn’t have done it.
After the difficult bit we then walked on all types of rocks and had to jump across some, I was in a daze and couldn’t wait to get to Camp 1.

An obvious and appropriate song choice for today’s post, and needs no introduction.

Phong Nha certainly knows how to party and with one of their favourite families leaving for America, soon it was obvious that one goodbye would not be enough. Luckily, friends of Captain Caveman, Hilary & Roy were in town to help us celebrate and get through a week of parties. Captain Caveman and I have been friends with this wonderful couple for about three years and are really going to miss them and their cute little girl. An American girl and a Vietnamese boy who fell in love and got married here in Phong Nha and have so many friends who will miss them so much.

On Friday 13^th January Oxalis Home put on a beach BBQ and buffet for the leaving party, the food was fantastic, the beers were flowing and a small fire kept us warm as we celebrated.

There was more karaoke fun for me, Hilary and Roy over the weekend as well as food out at a good selection of eateries in Phong Nha with the other cave experts and friends.

On Monday 16^th January there was an iconic moment at the Phong Nha River House – the sign was reinstated on the outside and we took a photo of the owners standing beneath it.

On Tuesday 17^th January it was the official goodbye party and Phong Nha River House did a great job of the catering. The speeches were emotional and brought tears to people’s eyes as we said cheers and wished them a happy life in America. Captain Caveman and I were of course of the last to leave and knew we would regret drinking so much as there was another party the next day.

The annual Porter Party was also held at Phong Nha River House and is one of the highlights of the year for me. There are three porter teams who work for Oxalis and they save a portion of their earnings to have an annual party. There is usually lots of food, beers and loud music and this year was no different. At breakfast Captain Caveman and I had watched the weighing and the transportation of the goats that would be eaten at the party.  It was such a great party and the next day I ached from too much dancing.

Thursday and Friday of this week didn’t pass without more goodbyes to our favourite American friend, with lunches, hugs and a beer or two.

Yesterday I also got up at 4am to see Captain Caveman off as he embarked on a 4 day cycling trip from Hue back to Phong Nha with his mate, Big Nose.

 

I’ve used today’s song as a ‘Flash Back Friday’ post to tell of my story to the biggest cave in the world. I believe it was George Mallory who, when asked why he climbed Everest, said ‘because it is there’. I’m certainly no explorer or climber and my life until I met Captain Caveman was blissfully unaware that cavers existed – I would never had imagined that I would become a fully-fledged member of the ‘Cavers Wives & Girlfriends’ (CWAGs for short) club later down the line.

People kept asking me if I’d been to ‘the big one’ yet, meaning Hang Son Doong, where my other half works at his dream job as a caving expert. To be honest the only reason I had agreed to go on the 5 day expedition trip is because I could and I imagined it would be something I would regret not taking the opportunity when I was given the chance. Plus, I had been curious to see for myself what all the fuss was about – so many of the tourists I’d heard say it was remarkable and one of the best trips they had been on.
I’d met my fellow trekkers the night before at the Oxalis briefing and was looking forward to getting on with the challenge. I was scared but motivated by all the support I’d had from back home, especially as I was raising money for two charities. We were a mixed group of Americans, Canadians, Vietnamese and I was the only British customer.
Captain Caveman was among the Oxalis staff on the tour as he had been swapped after I had booked on to one he wasn’t working. I had mixed feelings about whether I would have been better on a tour without my partner, or not.

Unfortunately one of the female customers was sick and had to make the tough decision on whether she would still be able to proceed and if not, would her husband still go ahead without her. I felt sorry for her as, having already done the first day on a previous Oxalis trip, I knew how hard it would be if she had to turn back. After a group photo with Ho Khanh, we left as a whole group with 2 cave experts and a Vietnamese guide in a bus that picked us all up locally and drove out through the National Park.

 

 

The first part of the route was to Hang En, which I had been to before with friends from the UK, so I was hoping it would be familiar and a little easier. It wasn’t and as we got half way down the very steep hill I recalled how hard we had found it almost a couple of years ago. It was also at this point that the lady who was ill had to turn back and head back up the hill with the tour group who were passing us on their way out, while her partner carried on. As Captain Caveman spoke to the other two cave experts in charge of the returning group it was disheartening for me to hear that some of the customers had really struggled and we saw the last of them come up the hill with both hands being held by helpers. The weather was sunny and hot and by the time we got to the start of the river crossings I was beginning to wonder if I’d done the right thing.

I loved the river crossings on the way to Hang En at first. It was refreshing on my feet and I was happy getting wet and walking in my old innov8 trainers that I was used to. They let the water in but didn’t hold much sand which meant less chance of blisters. I tried my best to keep up with Captain Caveman and the Canadian Doctor, who were at the front of the group, but made my first error when I found myself in the middle of a river crossing alone (they were quite a bit in front and the rest of our group was following our guide at a more shallow section of the river). Luckily I didn’t fall in but it was a wakeup call that my camera was in my back pack and could’ve got ruined. A few crossings later the doctor very kindly gave me one of his walking poles to use which really helped me out.

I’d forgot about the rock climbing into the camp at Hang En but managed it at the front of the group while everyone else climbed higher for extra photo opportunities, I didn’t want to use up unnecessary energy and climbed up and down as instructed by Captain Caveman until we reached a plank of a bridge. As it was winter the hot and cold pool I’d previously seen at Hang En were one bigger, deeper pool and required a bit of teetering over the plank to get ashore and to our first campsite.
I had a mini melt down at the bridge but managed it without falling in. I was met by an assistant guide with a hot cup of black tea and the best feeling I had that night was taking off my wet shoes and socks and going for a very cold dip in the water.

Our first meal was out of this world with pork, beef, chicken, tofu and vegetables served hot and with a real flare from the Chef and his team. I was hungry and tucked in. The rice wine was available for all to enjoy but I had about 2 mouthfuls all night knowing that I certainly would struggle the next day if I got a hangover. The tents were bigger and comfier than I remember and so I went off to bed before some of the others.

During the night one of the young ladies was taken ill, probably from dehydration – it’s very easy to not drink enough and in the humid conditions it can be a common issue. While Captain Caveman tended to his customer I tried to get back to sleep but by this time I was starting to worry I wasn’t fit enough to do the next few days. I had found that the slippery wet rocks had made me very nervous and I’d become more scared of falling than ever before. I lay awake worrying even after Captain Caveman had returned to the tent and that’s when the enormity of what I had let myself in for really kicked in. However, the next day I was to find out that no amount of imagination and fear was to prepare me for what I would encounter to get into Hang Song Doong.