Tam Coc

Three Grottos boat trip along a peaceful river with folks planting rice on either side. Notice that the rower is using her feet to propel the skiff.




Its time for the second crop to get transplanted. Seedlings are grown in little plastic green houses then transplanted into the fields.






Hawkers gather at the last grotto ready to pounce on boats turning around. After Paradise Cave we are underwhelmed. If traveling from north to south this would be a place to see before Phong Nha.





Misty karst pepper the landscape where the first king united 12 tribes of northern Viet Nam 1000 years ago. His citadel was protected by the karst, as invading Chinese could not find their way in.
Happy to be in the country again where peace and quiet reign. A lovely French/Viet hotel gives me a chance to resurrect bits of the French I once knew, and the food is delicious, especially the goat cooked with garlic and lemongrass.
-On the road with Kathryn

Paradise Cave One

Monday Jan 28 was a long day, a marvelous day of magical underground discovery. Our hip young guides, Lena and Patrick filled us in on some history.


Places where Americans bombs caused landslides onto the Ho Chi Minh Trail, 50 or more local villagers would be out within hours to clear the trail. It's the same commitment, which we see today. Problem with....transport, sticky lock, billing error, great we'll handle it right now, make it right. The American War was a training ground for what we see today as a dynamic, prosperous fast growing country.




We are at the narrowest point in VN, on the now paved Ho Chi Minh Hwy,half way between the ocean and Lao, just beyond those hills.






Yesterdays caves were fine, today we see magnificence, spectacular, vast and expansive. My little iPod touch doesn't do it justice, but here's some of my best attempts.



We climb down 200 teak steps, well lit, sturdy, broad, passing massive drip castles, thousands of years old.





Some looking like wet globs of sand or 20 foot towering monoliths









High in the vault above hints of iron and blue basalt? shale?, deep cracks up into the interior of the limestone karst which birthed these caverns...7 kilometers long!!



More to come.....
-On the road with Kathryn

Hanoi

Disclaimer: I don't know how to format so what I write comes out near the photo. An iPod touch does have its limitations, but hey, its light ;-)
What a let down after the tranquility of the rice fields. Chaos, busy, noisy, energetic, vibrant, youth in power, motor scooter paradise, narrow alley/streets in the old quarter brim full. Our hotel on one of these, surrounded by fruit sellers, shoe makers, beauty parlors, street food stands and bicycles and
scooters racing up and down all day and most of the night. This time our room is in the back, so noise isn't the issue. Our room has an air conditioner/heater combo thing, which is great since the fog/smog makes everything feel wet all the time. On the streets one finds EVERYTHING, even chickens. I don't know how they survive as its hard enough for people to cross the road ;-)


There is an effort at education about smoking, even by those selling cigs:





In case one is feeling homesick for US food (I cant imagine why with al this great VN food) there's even a KFC on the second floor near the recovered sword lake.


And the ever hardy peddlers are undaunted by traffic.


We were only there one night this pass, long enough for a great massage/shiatsu to work out the kinks from kayaking and then back to the countryside and more fog and cooler weather.
-On the road with Kathryn

Location:Hanoi

Nuoc Mooc Eco trail

After a delicious lunch of chicken and fried rice, as if the Paradise caves were not enough of an adventure, and after being told we MUST put on our "bathers", we take a little walk to the source
of the Nuoc Mooc stream, an underground river.



If you look closely you can just see the bubbling up of the water. The British Caving Society has planted little floats in many water elements around the area trying to figure out its source. One such came from 6 km away.


The water is that lovely blue/green caused by the alkalinity of the Calcium dissolved in the acidic water. ( I saw it first in Lao a few years ago at a place called the Blue Lagoon where I went for a swim after a healthy hike up to see a Buddha in a cave.)
After a bit of a hike over bamboo bridges and rocky paths we came to our swimming hole...hence the "bathers"



Not to be outdone by all those young folks, all with our little rolls of extra hips, (I am the senior participant on this particular tour),
I head into the stream with the others and climb and jump off the rock on the opposite side.






As one in the party had said earlier,"I didn't travel 10,000 miles to NOT get in the water" It actually wasn't very cold, a few degrees below the air- High 60s low 70s?? It was delightfully refreshing. Swimming fairy vigorously I was able to stand still against the current! Fortunately (maybe after losing someone) there is a long rope across the river to grab on to. (Mary opts out, she's not into exercise much and only likes hikes where the path is level and cleared of rocks)
Then forward to a kayak adventure:
Alison and Terry lead the group


Todd and Jennifer are up for it, while Don stays back to record events.


Without cameras we climb into leaky yellow kayaks and head for a secret cave not far away. This cave was discovered by one of the Farmstay guides, so far they are the only group to do this bit of the adventure. Once inside we switch on our headlamps and proceed into the darkness under a vast dome of dripping rock. For the brave among us, a narrow tight circular passage through oozy thick mud is offered. Knowing my previous bouts with claustrophobia, I opt IN. The mud felt marvelous and although the passage had a couple of stalagmites under which we passed, and two sharp and narrow corners, I'm very happy I did it. It was a bit warmer in the cave, but feeling chilled I decided against the swim across the cave and headed back to the kayak with our trusty guide Patrick for some warm soup and rum shots.





Mawt, Hai, Baa, Zoo


One, two, Three Cheers!
-On the road with Kathryn

Nuoc Mooc Eco trail

After a delicious lunch of chicken and fried rice, as if the Paradise caves were not enough of an adventure, and after being told we MUST put on our "bathers", we take a little walk to the source
of the Nuoc Mooc stream, an underground river.



If you look closely you can just see the bubbling up of the water. The British Caving Society has planted little floats in many water elements around the area trying to figure out its source. One such came from 6 km away.


The water is that lovely blue/green caused by the alkalinity of the Calcium dissolved in the acidic water. ( I saw it first in Lao a few years ago at a place called the Blue Lagoon where I went for a swim after a healthy hike up to see a Buddha in a cave.)
After a bit of a hike over bamboo bridges and rocky paths we came to our swimming hole...hence the "bathers"



Not to be outdone by all those young folks, all with our little rolls of extra hips, (I am the senior participant on this particular tour),
I head into the stream with the others and climb and jump off the rock on the opposite side.






As one in the party had said earlier,"I didn't travel 10,000 miles to NOT get in the water" It actually wasn't very cold, a few degrees below the air- High 60s low 70s?? It was delightfully refreshing. Swimming fairy vigorously I was able to stand still against the current! Fortunately (maybe after losing someone) there is a long rope across the river to grab on to. (Mary opts out, she's not into exercise much and only likes hikes where the path is level and cleared of rocks)
Then forward to a kayak adventure:
Alison and Terry lead the group


Todd and Jennifer are up for it, while Don stays back to record events.


Without cameras we climb into leaky yellow kayaks and head for a secret cave not far away. This cave was discovered by one of the Farmstay guides, so far they are the only group to do this bit of the adventure. Once inside we switch on our headlamps and proceed into the darkness under a vast dome of dripping rock. For the brave among us, a narrow tight circular passage through oozy thick mud is offered. Knowing my previous bouts with claustrophobia, I opt IN. The mud felt marvelous and although the passage had a couple of stalagmites under which we passed, and two sharp and narrow corners, I'm very happy I did it. It was a bit warmer in the cave, but feeling chilled I decided against the swim across the cave and headed back to the kayak with our trusty guide Patrick for some warm soup and rum shots.





Mawt, Hai, Baa, Zoo


One, two, Three Cheers!
-On the road with Kathryn

Paradise Cave Two

We continue forward through the one kilometer lit and allowed to the average tourist. Icicles of rock close up at one of the bends.




Towers growing up from the river bed. The cave is closed in the rainy season because parts are flooded several meters high.




Iron and marble like icicles drop in one corner of the vaulted ceiling. Several in our group express awe and wonder at God's Sistine Chapel, and remark on Michel Ange's inferior talent.







More unusual shapes appear as we move forward, some massive, some delicate.








Jelly fish swimming on their sides and every which way?




Waterfalls of wonder 25 feet high.




or like bracken on a tree in the Monterey forest, more and more unusual formations.







My iPod doesn't begin to do it all justice. One of the fellows in our tour has a very fancy(heavy cumbersome) camera and promises to send me his slide show. I hope he puts it on Youtube, I'll share the link. But you get an idea a from this little snippet of this marvel of nature.
There were some rules we had to pay attention to:



-On the road with Kathryn

Location:Paradise Cave