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!!! 

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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.

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s song choice is from a band I went to see 10 years ago and reminds me of my Abandoned Valley day tour in 2016. As Thursdays are now often used for ‘throw back Thursday’ posts and pictures I thought it appropriate (plus I’ve been to so many parties recently I was too hungover to write much today).

 

Last March I went on to a one day tour with Jungle Boss tours, here in Phong Nha and I thought the Abandoned Valley trip was amazing despite me being more of a city girl than the active sort. I was due to go on another caving trip in a few days time so this would be a warm up to get my legs used to all the walking. It was hard and I regretted wearing my new Salomon grippy shoes as they were hurting my toes on the way down the massive winding, rocky hill to the valley of the jungle – the thick greenery and the steep rocky walk was like something from another world for me. We had snacks of dragon fruit and choco-pies (like wagon wheels) after almost 2 hours of trekking before donning helmets, lights and gloves for a scramble over rocks into Dark Cave. It was a total of about 700m in pitch black and we even sat at the end of the cave and turned our lights off and sat in silence for 5 minutes to get a sense of the nature around us. (Yes, I was scared but after a while just relaxed and it felt weird).

 

There were 8 of us on the trip and of course I was the fattest, slowest, unfittest and oldest. The others were 2 Americans, 3 Germans & 2 Dutch and I made friends with Janou and Emma, the Dutch girls, who were fantastic trekking buddies. The guide was my good friend, Uy, and there were a couple of porters and a national park ranger.
After dark cave we walked along the river going in and out of it to cross the trails – the German man by this time had stopped removing his white plimsoles and rolling his jeans up.
We stopped for a delicious BBQ pork lunch in the jungle next to a swimming spot and although the sun wasn’t out it was warm and the area was beautiful.
After lunch we swam in a very cold pool that lead into a massive cave so we swam with lights on to the end, about 200m and floated on our backs in the dark. I wasn’t so keen on the bats in there but it was a nice swim.
Afterwards we set back off trekking up the massive hill back to meet the bus. I was shattered but had a good laugh and was wishing I had ordered beer, not 7up, for my drink at the end.
In the evening I ate with my new friends at Bamboo Café before heading across the road to get drunk at Easy Tiger’s with Uy and some of my fellow customers from our tour. The night ended in the karaoke til very late, singing to random songs that most of us didn’t know.

The day after my birthday party I woke up with a hangover and a craving for a bacon sandwich. Captain Caveman had already gone across the road to meet his fellow cavers at Ho Khanh’s. Ho Khanh is the man who first discovered Hang Son Doong, the biggest cave in the world, here in Quang Binh and now has a homestay and café that probably has the best coffee in the area.

I joined Captain Caveman and the usual breakfast group but with the intention we would go over to the River House to see if they needed a hand clearing up from last night and make sure the bill had been paid, before having breakfast. Typically by the time we got there we had left it too late as all was tidy and breakfast was finished.

Our next attempt at breakfast was at Rustic where I asked Captain Caveman to order me a banana smoothie and a bacon sandwich (they do really good bacon sandwiches here). After a while I’d finished my smoothie but there was still no sign of my food so I mentioned that it seemed to be taking a long time. Captain Caveman had forgot to tell me that when he ordered, an hour ago, he was told we couldn’t have a bacon sandwich as they were out of bread – I wasn’t happy. Even the resident puppy seemed disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to have any leftover scraps.

We cycled the 2km in to town and went to Easy Tiger, still chasing the bacon and finally got a great sandwich just exactly how I like it, finally.

In my hung-over state I had almost forgotten my drunken promise of lunchtime karaoke so I then spent over four hours in a private karaoke room, at Phong Nam in town, with great friends and more beer while Captain Caveman escaped to the pub.

The famous song ‘It’s My Party and I’ll Cry if I Want to’ by Lesley Gore back in the 60’s, was playing in my head a couple of times on my birthday – it’s one of my favourites. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCPqaG8sVDE

We had arrived on the overnight train leaving Da Nang, later than expected, at 11.30pm and were met by the driver outside Dong Hoi station just before 5am meaning we were back home in Phong Nha before sunrise. I really wanted to go back to bed so that I wouldn’t be too tired for my party at the River House that night and so ignored Captain Caveman has he unpacked, did washing and generally made a noise for an hour.

By lunch time I was hungry and so we went to Capture for birthday brunch and beer, I had a very tasty salami and cream cheese sandwich and temporarily forgot we’d fell out about me needing too much sleep (I’m not the one who fell asleep in the cinema). I was hoping for a birthday massage however we ended up having another beer in Easy Tiger where we were joined by Chrissy and then another of Captain Caveman’s colleagues, who I’d not seen since I left Phong Nha 6 months ago.

A beer in Capture café, on my birthday.

 

 Easy Tiger beer, spare salami and sunflower seeds – what more can a birthday girl need?

My party was arranged for 6pm at the Phong Nha River House so at 5pm Chrissy invited me to hers for a celebratory drink which was much appreciated after an argument with Captain Caveman about a plug socket and my strength. The party was a great night, despite Captain Caveman being sat between two blokes I didn’t know who talked about caves and work all night; he wasn’t even seen at the amazing buffet. Lots of my favourite people came over to celebrate and Chrissy organised a delicious carrot cake, I got some lovely gifts of a gorgeous scarf, a much needed notepad/journal and (at last) a bell for my bike.

I had lots of beers and didn’t even have room for a whisky night cap when I got home.

On Saturday (7th January) we were ready very early and awaited our bus pick up for 6.45am outside our house with hangovers. The attitude on time keeping in Phong Nha is very relaxed compared to back home and so after a few pick-ups and stop offs we were finally leaving town and heading to another wedding about 50km away from Vinh. Captain Caveman and I joined Watto & Chrrisy on the bus with the other Oxalis employees and arrived at Dung and Huong’s wedding at 11am. I was still feeling a little fragile so I opted for the tea offered rather than the rice wine. There were lots of friends and family there and the happy couple looked very nervous as the speeches and singing, by various people, continued at volume. There was the traditional pouring of the red, fizzy wine into champagne pyramids followed by a sip with linked arms as people clapped or took photos.
The day was warm and the sun came out making it pretty hot by the afternoon when the food feast started – there was beef, pork, chicken, bread and sticky rice washed down with too much rice wine and cans of winter melon (both are an acquired taste).
After the wedding we were driven by car to Vinh train station where we would be getting the overnight sleeper train to Da Nang then going to Hoi An for a couple of days with Watto & Chrissy. As there were a few hours to kill before the train that evening Captain Caveman and I went for a walk around the town and found ourselves in an empty Bia Hoi place drinking Huda beer and eating beer snacks. Back home bar snacks would usually consist of crisps or nuts but here they are a little healthier with their offerings, we were given rice crackers, cucumber and a vegetable we affectionately call eyeballs – related to the aubergine and has the ability to suck all the moisture from your mouth with one tiny bite. We also tried a Vuvuzela restaurant but weren’t particularly impressed with the food although the beer was good.
Our overnight train journey was OK despite having a carriage door that kept swinging open because of a broken catch, so a little sleepy we arrived to the car waiting to take us to Eden Homestay on Cua Dai Street. Chrissy and I have stayed here a few times and so Chrissy had managed to get a good deal by booking directly with the hotel. We had a good walk to Dingo Deli for our breakfast as this was a place all of us had enjoyed eating at in previous visits and it wasn’t quite as good as usual – I prefer their lunchtime food over the breakfast and was glad we had booked breakfast at our homestay for the next two days. While in Hoi An we visited a tailor, shopped for DVDs, ate Vietnamese and Indian food, drank wine in nice places. Captain Caveman found the best fish and chips at a place called ‘Chips & Fish & Stuff’ while I enjoyed their famous Hoi An dish of Cao Lau (a pork noodle dish).
On Tuesday Watto & Chrissy headed back to Phong Nha while we headed to the dentist in Da Nang for our check ups. I was glad to hear that my teeth were fine and needed no treatment – Captain Caveman was all good too. We treated ourselves with a trip to the cinema in Da Nang where we watched Arrival, a pretty good film despite me not liking sci-fi/alien types. The overnight train from Da Nang back to Dong Hoi was good despite an elderly man on the bottom bunk of my side not turning his light off all night so again we didn’t really get much sleep. My birthday started with me being annoyed at Captain Caveman for being tetchy with the old bloke.