By the way … the Indian restaurant has disappeared. I was so disappointed.
I didn’t sleep well which meant that sleeping in, was mandatory. Not a bad outcome. I also forgot that breakfast was included here at the Paradise Hotel.
I got up and went for a short walk to survey breakfast options, didn’t like any, and went back to the hotel where they handed me a menu and said – what would you like for breakfast. I thought they were mind readers until they said it was included. I knew they weren’t mind readers, because this morning, mine was completely blank – more so than usual.
An omelette and some French bread with a Cafe Sua. Very nice. The good people here had to go and get the ingredients. I had a good chat to the guy who owns the hotel while that was happening. I think they only have a couple of rooms rented out, so I feel bad for them, as I have across the rest of this region for anyone reliant on the tourist trade.
One of those coffees is never enough, so I wandered down the road and had another. I was in danger of waking up completely, so I headed back to the hotel for a rest.
I had arranged with the owner, to hire one of their motorscooters for the afternoon. I told him 11am and only missed that time by 45 mins. All of the motor scooters that I’ve hired have slightly different ways of starting, locking, opening the seat etc, so I took the crash course, and headed off.
I made it as far as the bakery, 3 doors down where the lure of a Banh Mi or two made me stop, sit down and have lunch. How could I expect to make it to Paradise Cave at this rate ?
Next, I needed petrol, so I headed off in the direction I was told, and was flagged down by an enterprising young lady running the local petrol stop. She asked where I was going and she said – you’ll need 3 litres. The hotel people said 2 litres. So what do you do ? I couldn’t possibly get 2 because then, I’d definitely run out. As it turned out, I used almost 2 litres, so I was glad I listened to her !
I made it to the caves, but only after a super nice and hilly ride through the Karst hills and up a few small valleys. Every uphill was warmly appreciated by my quads and I made a conscious effort to relax the legs !
On arrival, you pay a small amount for parking, then walk a few hundred metres across a wide expanse fringed by food and souvineer shops to the ticket office. The scale was grand but I was the only person there at the time. If tumbleweeds had rolled across my way, I wouldn’t have been surprised.
After getting the ticket, it’s another walk to the entry gates, and then it’s a few kilometres to the cave entrance. The last 500 metres is a series of switchbacks that climb up the side of the mountain.
My legs were saying – this is a rest day ? But worse was to come with all of the stairs.
The understated entrance hid a massive and magical expanse that opened up as soon as I was inside. My jaw was open for the 45 minutes or so that I was in there.
Oh gee. It’s amazing, breathtaking, jaw-dropping, intricate and absolutely beautiful. I gawked around the place like a beached goldfish gasping for air.
The dark timber walkway goes in for about a kilometre and the lighting can be criticised but it does the job – and shows off the colossal structures created by limestone and water with patience that stretched for thousands of years.
The cave was so enormous that I can imagine it’s not daunting for claustophobes, as the roof can often be 40 metres high. They may need to be sedated to get them in there in the first place, though.
I thought it was funny that 100 metres from the entrance, there were toilets and a sign saying – please use the WC before entering the caves. It’s something I can imagine every mother says to their kids as well as every grandmother to their husbands. However, upon entering the cave, the predominant sound is that of trickling water. Only the strong can survive.
Around every corner was another stunning structure and I hope I’ve conveyed how awesome this place is.
At some point I had to stop taking photos, simply enjoy being here, and breathe it all in. Wow, Wow, Wow.
There were lots of stairs to navigate on the way out, followed by a long descent down the mountain and beside the creek to the ticket office – it’s a 7km round trip.
Back to the motorscooters and I couldn’t remember how to open the seat and retrieve my helmet – had to ask the carpark guy to help. The look on his face asked if I was stupid, but I’m used to that 😁 The look on my face answered with – I don’t speak Vietnamese 😁
The ride back was a continuation of the loop with a few narrow roads and nice views.
What an afternoon. On the way back, I stopped and got some nuts, chips and a beer, and headed for the balcony outside my room. It seemed the perfect way to finish the day.
