The Phong Na Ke Ba National Park is supposedly one of the highlights of every vietnam trip. That is the reason we included it on our southbound journey. The worlds largest cave is located here and it seemed like a good location for us. We decided to take the night train from Sapa to Hanoi, and from there take the night train to Dong Hoi which is the gate to the National Park. We got to Dong Hoi really tired out and were happy when approached by someone from a close hostel. We were able to have breakfast there and from ther take the bus to Phong Na. We had breakfast with ocean view and Chris took a dip in the ocean.
Vietnam night train
Stormy ocean view
So far our travels had been relatively smooth and when something unexpected happened it turned most of the time into something good. I guess it was the same here but the rainy weather is gonna stick a while with us.
We arrived in Phong Na after a very bumpy ride on the local bus. The ride itself was quite nice since we went through small villages and many rice paddies. It was a little foggy but we still saw the karst mountains and the river running through.
Local bus
Once we were in the little town we went to our hostel which was more of a glamping site rather than a hostel. It was beautiful with everything made from wood but our door was a curtain. Chris already had a cold I was on the edge of getting one, too. The hostel owners were really nice and we had a nice double bed with heavy blankets so we decided to stay at least two nights to discover the caves in the park the next day. There were only two options for us. Either rent a motorbike for a day or take a boat to a cave. Prices were not so much different and we liked the idea of being independent again.
Glamping style hostel Phong Na
The next day came, we both had a good night sleep but it was raining. The rain did not stop only the amount of water pouring down varied. Since I did not feel so good anyways our plans seemed to float away. After having had a late breakfast we made a quick decision to just see the Phong Na cave by boat and then take the bus back to Dong Hoi to a hostel at the beach. It is much better to sit in an open place watching the ocean while it rains than sitting in a national park with nowhere to go. Phong Na is a town full of tourist agencies, hostels and hotels, restaurants with western style food. We had a hard time finding a decent place for pho bo. At the same time the town seems a little abandoned in some places. We had this perception a couple times throughout our travels. We never know if it is just not high season, too many hostels were built and the town is in need of more tourists or the best days are over. Those places are just weird to be around.
The Phong Na cave itself was wonderful. The only thing we did not enjoy was the company of some fellow travellers but being on a longer journey you will likely not only meet people that you like.
The boat ride to the cave
This is the motorbike ferry!
The cave
After our short Nationalpark express tour we got back on the bumpy road, there was a great couple in the bus with us. We enjoyed their company a lot and there was a duck in a plastic bag. The duck was alive but did not seem to like to have tied up legs and hang out in a bag. After 90 minutes we reached our dream destination on the beach and it had a power out. It seemed like this was just not our day. Finally, after Chris went for a swim and we got settled in with our headlamps, the power gladly came back on and we could take a hot shower. At dinner we decided to have a hang out day and not travel to our next destination right away. And we had a nice bonfire at the end of the day.
So today was just about reading, relaxing and listening to the sound of the waves. Playing music with fellow travellers and enjoying the ocean.
Advent calender treat: oreo icecream