The plan was to go to Cuc Phuong National Park then to Galaxy Grotto and then as far south as possible. I made it to Cuc Phuong. Nevertheless is was a very emotional and adventurous day.
It is really hard to find Cuc Phuong National Park without Google Maps. The signs point in a different direction and I am very happy that I have such a well developed 6th sense and trust it more and more. Up to a point it was the right thing to follow the sign on the road to "Cuc Phuong Resort and Vilas", but when I got close to the park I had a feeling and turned on Google Maps. The way I had to take was quite hidden and the road sign pointed in another direction. Until I got to the National Park I wasn't sure whether I was right or not, but the view on the way was nice.
The entrance ticket was only 60.000 Dong(2,20€) for the whole park. It spans an area of 120ha. At first I got to a marvelous lake.
Then to the "Cave of the prehistoric man". Outside you can rent a headlight from a lady who also charges you a small amount for parking. It is worth paying for both. From there you have to walk for 5 minutes over 2 bridges and some stairs. The cave has no lights and is pitch black after you turn around the corner twice. At some point I had to crawl because I couldn't get further otherwise.It is a very beautiful cave with lots of hidden segments. There is a ladder that leads up to a second floor where you can explore a little as well and exit from there to go back to the entrance. Most of the time I was alone, just when I was about to leave I saw a couple accompanied by a tour guide. It was a challenge to turn of the flashlight of my camera and sit in silence in the dark. A mosquito around me made me turn it back on and continue my way.
From the main entrance to the central station it was a little more then 20km and the cave was about half way. It took me about 30 minutes on my bike. From central you can take a hike for about 1-2 hours. It took me 3. The scenery is beautiful and if you take a small detour you can see the 5 biggest trees of the national park as well as a cave and the oldest tree there. The oldest tree is 1000years old. It is very wide, but otherwise not very exciting. It was the palace cave where my adventure happened:
Going in alone just with the light of my phone and seemingly enough battery 75%. I didn't expect the cave to be so big and I wanted to explore every angle of it. From the main way a little apart I saw a small passage and managed to push myself through it. It was like playing Tetris with my body. Not easy, but as long as I got the right body position I got through. I almost had to crawl to make it. I found myself in a dark room without any light. Just few visitors must have been here before. A slightly fat person wouldn't be able to make it-
I closed my eyes to meditate for a while and I was surprised how easy it was. The fear of the dark was almost gone, just here and there a thought of my mind on how I would get out and what if I got stuck. I enjoyed this feeling of having conquered my fear quite a bit and embraced the silence and darkness. Some German tourists passed through another part of the cave and at some point I decided to go back to the main track. I saw them on the way back. It was 5-10 minutes ago when I heard them pass the place we met so I figured it wouldn't be much farther. Wrong. I went on for about 10 minutes and it was a huge challenge. At some points I had to put down my phone so I could use both hands to climb. The ground was wet sometimes and at some points I thought the way ended, but I found a small passage to push through again and continued. At least I got to a place where I stopped and had the feeling it was the right thing to turn around. Going further was probably possible,but it was a bit dangerous for me and there was this knowledge that it would be wrong to continue. At this place I turned off my light again and enjoyed the silence and darkness. There I was about 15 minutes into a cave alone almost fearless. Pride. The way back was a little bit harder. The floor was slippery and getting down from my last position took me 2 minutes only for 10 meters. After the first 5 minutes it was easier. On the way back I saw something that I thought was a bat. I turned my light away not to disturb it. I took some pictures of beautiful stalagmites, stalactites and rocks and also fell because I was too careless. A few minutes before the exit I heard the noises of a bat over my head. Something inside me thought she could smell my blood, since I was bleeding a little from the fall. A few moment later the light of my phone went off. No more battery. I was shocked, but only for half a second, because I realized I could already see some light shining from around the corner 50 meters ahead. I dropped down almost instantly and made the rest of the way back on my feet and hands slowly testing where I was stepping. If it would have been a couple of minutes earlier I would have been surrounded by complete darkness and with no light to see the way in front of me and no idea when the next visitors would come. Had it been only 20 meters earlier there was a big stone and a steep place where I had to go down. It was still a little frightening, but at least I could see something up ahead and just had to go into this direction.
I got out and learned to take my fully charged power bank and maybe a light the next time I visit a dark cave.
When I got to the tree I tried turning on my phone again and it worked. 60% battery left. 2nd hand phone bought in Hanoi.
The rest of the way was nothing much happened. Took some pictures on the way and went back to where I left my Motorbike.
The last stop was the observatory close to the entrance. Walking to a watchtower for 5 minutes up the hill and then climbing it. On top I had to face two fears: My fear of heights and my fear of giant bees. Both have gotten better as I realized when I was watching the scenery pretty relaxed, even if those Vietnamese watchtowers don't feel very safe and I don't know how aggressive these bees are.
Personally this was a very important and huge day. I'm very proud of myself for facing so many things lately that make me feel insecure and slowly overcoming them. After a day like this where I can see my progress I am very happy to have chosen the path of facing my fears in a good and continuous pace.
Safe travel
Cosmin