It's bigger on the inside

 Sunday November 12

The bus ride wasn’t as horrid as I had expected. The Bozo in the bunk next to mine had gone to sleep playing some Hindi music loudly. I wasn’t sure what etiquette was so let it go. Another passenger said “Can you please turn the music down?” To a response of ZZzzzz… She raised her voice, a man added his and still the music played on. They flapped his curtains, same response. I could see this wasn’t going to work and it was going to be the ride from whatever Hell is called in Hinduism. I reached over and tickled his fingers and he woke up. Then the gang started pointing and making turn the music down motions. He complied, but seemed a hint perplexed. Maybe he was just sleep confused.

I nodded off for a while until my neck got a crick in it. I woke up to the woman in front of me having a very animated conversation. It’s funny how you can sit next to two people talking and completely tune it out. The moment a cell phone conversation starts and you can’t hear both sides that one side is all you can hear. I think she yammered the whole trip.

My berth was long enough, but not quite a full 180 degree flat bed, more like 160 degrees. Sleeping on my back is not my ideal position, so I tossed and turned as I fumed about Ms. Jabberwocky. Eventually after 12:30am I finally really when to sleep.

Sometime in the night I woke as we pulled into a rest station for potty and snacks. I need neither so settled back into slumber. When my curtain was ripped open and the bus wrangler said something to me. I replied “Phong Nha” and he waved his hand. I settled back and shut the curtains  and he flung them open and said “Phong Nha”. My phone said 2:30am, not the 7am the woman at the hotel told me. About half the bus seemed confused to, but I rolled out onto the floor and grabbed my pack and got off the bus. Yup, we were at our destination confused and sleep addled.

My initial plan was arrive at 7am, find the hotel I had reserved drop my luggage and go play until check in time. Well that plan sure went to Cleveland in a hurry. Finally it is just me and two Vietnamese women. “Motor bike ride?” — “Taxi??” —— “No, no taxi now”. Well it is that or actually sleeping on the street. Okay

She loaded my heavy case between her legs, had me put a back pack on each shoulder and away we went. We were the only thing moving in the town, even the dogs were quiet. She dropped me off at a very, very dark hotel. There is one 25 watt light over the doorway. Well at least they have some chairs I can settle into a couple of them until the morning comes. A stirring alerts me to something and a man emerges from a zippered cocoon of a hammock . He mutters something at me and I mumble something back. He gets out a key and goes inside and brings a blurry eyed young woman. I explain my situation and she says there is a room available and I can have it, for the nightly price. Fine, do it, please.

So now I am paying for three sleeping locations for one night. The one in Tan Coc, because I went after the 11am check out. The bus that delivered but still owed me 4.5 hours of sleep and now this hotel. I am not complaining very much here, just stating the irony of how this worked out.

I probably went to sleep around 4 and woke up near 7am. Maybe 5 and a half hours of sleep, could be worse.

I thought the cave I had come to visit was right in town, turns out it is over 20 miles away. There goes the idea of walking or biking to the cave. So a car is secured for the journey.

The driver is good, and we get there safely. He parks and says go that’a way. I pay the fee and then ask why I might need a ride in an electric buggy. The cave is 2 km from the ticket booth. Might as well save those steps for something else, so ride I did.

The cart dropped me off at a stairway, but knowing that the height of steps is not consistent here and all too frequently very slippery, I turned right and headed for the paved ramp up. The steps said 500m, the ramp didn’t give a distance. The ramp went up and up and up some more, toss in the switchbacks and I wouldn’t be surprised that it doubled the 500m of the stairs. Again I was sweating and wanting to lay down when I finally finished the climb.

I gulped down a 1/2 liter of water and then onto the cave. Little hole with wooden steps and suddenly high above the cave floor and words fail me to describe how huge it is and how awesome (I was indeed awe struck) it was. Huge, and colorful thanks to the strategically place lights.

Was it worth the challenge to get here? Most certainly .

I stayed for about an hour and a half before turning around and climbing back up and out of the cave, into a light rain shower. I didn’t bring my hat, since I didn’t anticipate much need for sun protection inside a cave. The rain was not factored in to my grand plan. It was a warm rain, and if I get wet, I get wet, there is no way around it. Guess what ? The walk back was easier the the walk up and I was a little wet, but not too bad, especially considering how hard it's been known to rain in Vietnam and the rest of the tropics.

Back at the hotel I made travel arrangements to go to Hue tomorrow at 9am. A supposedly 4 to 5 hour ride. I’ll start my stopwatch when I board.

--- Sorry about the odd picture placement, I can't get the App to accept that these last two pictures will fit side by side