Having finally skirted around a purportedly awful section of highways, we are now ready to head inland and take the Ho Chi Minh trail most of the way to Hanoi. I wasn't sure what to expect, but we hopped over through Quang Tri to find vast forests and fresh air. Nicole leads most of the way and sets a killer pace.
Struggling to keep up!
Today was one of the longest stretchest we've gone but we do it in no time at all. Phong Nha is home to vast limestone mountain ranges covered in dramatic greenery, making for a spectacular sight.
The sign roughly translates to, "This place is hideous—keep moving along!"
We grab a quick lunch and inquire about cave exploration here. It just so happens there's a boat leaving in 30 minutes. I'm stoked that we're able to do an activity the same day we covered a relatively huge distance, and a passive boat ride sounds relaxing. If anything we get to rest while checking out the natural features.
Those sweet, sweet features.
The shoreline along the river bustles with activity as we slowly head toward the Phong Nha cave.
Don't forget to wash behind your ears.
'Cole happy. River good.
I don't know if I want to climb it or go inside it. Both?
Walking around inside a mountain. Other worldly.
Nature is getting its glitter on.
Welcome to my throne room.
The river extends for eight kilometers. We didn't go nearly as far.
It's like Cthulhu and a rock monster had a terrifying baby.
This cave experience was a delight—pensive and peaceful—aided by the fact that it wasn't very crowded at all (most boats were leaving the caves as we arrived). As it turns out there are more caves to see! We decide to wake up early and check them out before continuing up the Ho Chi Minh.
Stats: Hue to Phong Na. 223km.
Notes: In retrospect I wish we had taken QL49 west to the DHCM instead of QL9. Feeling lucky with such nice, open roads!
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