Hello dear Friends,
After reading the article talking about the world's largest cave, Hang Son Doong, was initially explored in 2009 by the British Caving Research Association and a local man named Ho Khanh, I began to fantasize of exploring this cave at least once because the images in the cave are simply breathtaking.
I graduated from university in July 2013 and decided to pursue a career as an adventure caving guide, which could help me realize my ambition. I began with Paradise Cave and worked my way up to Oxalis. I was fortunate enough to be offered a terrific position with a two-month trial period before being hired as a full-fledged Oxalis guide. In January of 2014, I was hired as contract labor, which meant that my goal was becoming a reality.
I began at a simple level, doing things like the Tu Lan caverns system's tu lan experience level for one day, then a two-day tour, a three-day tour, and other expeditions such as the 2-day Hang Va expedition and the 4-day Tu Lan Expedition. I was incredibly excited for my first journey to Son Doong in May of 2014, after 5 months of training and more than 50 caving, trekking, and swimming trips in underground rivers. I couldn't get much sleep the night before since I was so excited to see the light of day tomorrow, and I carefully prepared for my first 6-day of the journey.
Day 1: Pick -Up the Customers – Oxalis Home – Briefing – Welcome Dinner
In the morning, I was in charge of picking up 8 customers from the Dong Hoi Airport, Train Station to do the check-in Oxalis Home, as well as handing them clear plastic bags to store their belongings at the camp. We needed to hand them over to Ho Khanh Homestay at night because the porters would leave earlier than our group. Because we didn't want the porters to be overworked, all of my guests were allowed to put a maximum of 7kg in these bags. The porters also had to carry other items including sleeping gear, food, and caving equipment...
My customers had time to relax in their rooms or go on a bike ride around the town, but they made sure to return to the Oxalis Café for the safety briefing. by 5:00 pm
We began by learning the names; I was extremely adept at this, and I even had a name sheet with all of their pertinent details.
Mr Watto and Howard, our safety specialists, gave a 45-minute for the safety briefing. Eight charming guests, two safety specialists, one primary guide leader, Thin, two National Park Rangers, and 25 porters made up my gang.
Then we were treated to a delicious dinner provided by Thai, the wonderful cook. We're having a few beers and chatting to learn more about my team.
Then Howard, Watto, Thin, and I said our goodbyes and promised to see everyone again tomorrow. I went back to my room and thought about the trip the next day before resting and dreamed about a fantastic trip coming up soon.
Day 2: Oxalis Home – Ho Khanh Homestay – Trekking Point – Hang En
After this excursion, I was asked whether I might be a principal guide if I did a good job. I got up at 6 a.m. to double-check that everything was in order. I went to Oxalis Home at 7:00 a.m. and had breakfast with my customers.
We left Oxalis at 9 a.m., and our diver, Duong, took us to Km 35 of the Ho Chi Minh Highway, where we began our descent into the valley. It was dry at the time, and even a little hot for us, but the jungle's shadow kept us much cooler. We hiked down for an hour in this manner to reach the first river crossing. Howard advised us to put on our hats and pour water to keep our heads cool. I followed his instructions. As the water came out of the rock, it was cool and clear. We had a 15-minute break here before continuing on flat terrain with slick rocks when crossing rivers.
We arrived in Doong Village, a Vietnamese minority ethnic group. They are from the Bru Van Kieu tribe. Thin told everyone that we would be having lunch in the village, at the home of Mr Toa, the village's boss.
Toa married with a Bru Van Kieu woman, a former resident of Truong Son village in Quang Binh. They got together and moved to Doong village with their other relatives to start a new life. Toa has eight children, the last of them is a daughter named Princess, who is hoped to have a better life in the future.
We continued our journey to Hang En, our first camp, after recharging our batteries with a large lunch. By 3 p.m., we had completed about 40 river crossings and arrived at the main Hang En entrance. We felt much better on the journey down to Hang En without the jungle's shadow because it was cloudy in the afternoon.
Hang En was discovered in 1994 and is the world's third largest cave by volume and size. If you don't have enough time for a longer excursion like Son Doong, Oxalis provides a 2-day adventure to Hang En.
We arrived early at the cave, so we had plenty of time for pictures and coffee before swimming in the world's most gorgeous lake. Thin, who was looking up at the cave ceiling, said Doong peasants used to climb to the top of the cave ceiling and catch swifts for food.
When we returned to the dining room, we saw that there was a party waiting for us. On the tarp sheet, there were 6-7 dishes. The cook brought us some "happy water," which is a local rice wine. If you liked it, it was absolutely happier water.
We sat around the campfire after dinner, chatting. From their expressions, I could tell that everyone was having a good time today. Some of them had planned this trip for a year, and I could understand their excitement. Thin spent his time here doing tour schedule for the next day.
Day 3: Hang En - Camp 1 in Son Doong
My gang awoke early in the morning since the sound of swifts flying out of the cave to find food had woken them up. I stayed in my sleeping bag for another 30 minutes before getting up at 7 a.m.
Breakfast consisted of noodle soup with beef/eggs and dragon fruits. After that, everyone returned to their tents to pack up their belongings and deliver the plastic bag over to the porter team. At 9 a.m., we went into the cave in Hang En to continue our exploration.
Hang En's exit is awe-inspiring, awe-inspiring, and awe-inspiring. We spent nearly an hour photographing here.
Then we went down to the valley and got soaked all over again.
We had to climb around 150 meters to reach the Son Doong entrance, where the porters were already preparing lunch for us.
Thin and the safety assistants helped us in putting on harnesses after lunch. It was time to visit Hang Son Doong, the world's largest cave. It was difficult to believe that my goal would be realized in just 5 minutes.
To be continued...