Paradise Cave

After a week that I will say was intense in many ways, we headed out to the Paradise Cave (Thien Duong Cave to be exact) on Saturday. I have never seen a cave in my life and I think this was one of the best and worst ways to start.  Best because it was so awesome, worst because I am not sure how many caves can live up to this. This is a recently discovered cave and is gigantic. I have say, I was awed in a way I haven't been for a while. In a way that made me forget the really long journey in a really small (and in many ways poorly-designed) bus. Even I was too tall for the seats and I am not too tall for anything. The day went off as travel days are bound to: grumbling about the bus and potholes, making friends with a pair of girls traveling across Asia, eating (or not) lunch and being pleasantly surprised by the addition of french fries to the usual fare.

We had booked a tour via a tour company and some folks got off en route, most people went to Phong Nha caves and six of us to Paradise Cave, which was a 40 minute ride away from the Phong Nha stop. We got to the entrance, sat in what is charmingly called a buggy and sped to staircase to the cave entrance. This was only 570 steps and I will say I am very out of shape. I console myself by thinking that at least I did it. We went inside and I promptly fell down the steps even before we reached the first warning sign. It hurt. But it was no surprise to me. I am the person that will fall.



I don't think any words or pictures can do justice to what I saw. It is massive. It is supposed to be 31 kms all the way in and most people usually get to see about 1 km. There is a wooden staircase going inside that is very well-maintained despite the large number of tourists we saw. I could see stalactites and stalagmites and all sorts of formations that were just fascinating. Some looked like they were made by water; some by sand. I never have the urge to break rules but I really wanted to step over the railing and walk on the cave floor. I didn't but I wanted to. I wonder when was the last time humans were there before they were discovered. It is amazing how humans are everywhere. It was fairly crowded in the afternoon and as tends to happen, there was some shoving, some megaphone announcements by obnoxious tour agents, and in some way diminishing of the majestic presence the caves are. But I also met a very fun family from Hanoi and they were lovely, with the kids chatting with me for most of our way back.

The caves were super clean but I do recommend being careful on the steps; they feel moist and slippery. We walked on the wooden staircase and paused to take pictures and realize the futility of it all. We stopped to touch protruding stone from the ceiling, some of which was smoother to touch than other parts. I morbidly wondered about caves that have collapsed, perhaps with people inside them. Some of the rocks on the side were speckled, there was clay, the formations looked like people and figures to me. I am so glad we visited the caves (this one opened to the public in 2011).

I do think our experience could have been better if we could have been in a proper bus - this bus emptied out on the way back and that really was the only way to make the 5 hour trip (one way) bearable. If I go another time, I would plan better and I'd probably only rely on a tourist company for the bus but not the other arrangements. We tried to do in a day what deserves a few days and of course it was rushed. There is a crazy part of me that almost wants to go back to Phong Nha caves next weekend but we will see. (Edited to add: It has taken me over 12 hours to even be able to move, so maybe not)

Here are some really dark pictures.

Look carefully for the lights and number of people.

Posing

I took this for showing scale.
I am not sure it comes through.

Another one for the sheer magnitude.