Journey to the centre of the earth on a caving expedition in Vietnam
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Journey to the middle of the earth on a caving trek in Vietnam
On a thrilling expedition to Vietnam'south Tu Lan caves, Karen Tee discovers the joys of disconnecting from the world and plugging into the wonders of nature.
The writer taking the plunge. (Photo: Montblanc)
27 Aug 2022 06:30AM (Updated: 04 Jul 2022 11:11PM)
I have a phobia of getting trapped in dark, enclosed places. My friends said bats would poop on me. The excuses kept coming when I was invited to go on an adventure trek in Tu Lan in key Vietnam, a series of over ten caves nestled within picturesque limestone mountains and wild jungles.
Only I also believe in trying everything in life once so before I knew it, there I was, kitted out in hiking gear, gaping in wonder – and a piffling trepidation – at the dramatic expanse of verdant green mountains equally our ring of thirteen intrepid explorers set out to conquer the Tu Lan caves.
Originally discovered in 1992, this cave system became globally famous when a photograph of one of the cave'south impressive stalactites and stalagmites, rising upward from and reaching down towards iridescent green pools of water, won National Geographic's 2022 Photo of the Twelvemonth. Notwithstanding, to experience this wonder of nature in person, we would first have to survive a gruelling hike over a mount.
Organised by Montblanc in conjunction with its latest campaign for its 1858 collection, which includes a khaki-green vintage-inspired Geosphere lookout, to encourage people to escape the concrete jungle to reconnect with nature, the remote Tu Lan caves were chosen to become us equally far away from civilisation as possible. This meant camping overnight the middle of a dense jungle, away from all fauna comforts, including Wifi and flushing toilets.
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At this bespeak, information technology is hard to say whether the idea of being completely unplugged or the impending physical challenges of the trip are more daunting. Either style, nosotros begin our scrappy, breathless scramble through the dense jungle undergrowth. Nosotros clamber over slippery boulders, traverse stone crevices on narrow stepladders, scale rock walls and march forth at a lung-busting stride.
3-and-a-half hours and 7km later, nosotros finally arrive at our campsite, located in the valley where the archway to a few of the caves are located. We strap on our helmets and life vests and and enter the outset, called Ken cave, where the National Geographic photograph was taken.
Secret rivers run through the caves, which means we have to swim to become to the inner chambers. Because the rivers channel the rain water out, the caves are only accessible during sure times of the year when the h2o level is low and the electric current mild. For safety reason, only certified guides with extensive cognition of the local terrain are permitted to conduct trips and all tours are run by local operator Oxalis Run a risk.
After the exhausting hike, it is almost relaxing to be gently paddling in the cool water. As we swim, bats which have been disturbed by our headlights and clumsy splashing flutter around restlessly, wings flapping rapidly. At least there'due south no bat guano dropping on my head, I think, relieved.
Deep inside the cavern, our guide instructs usa to plow off all our headlamps, and then switches off the 10,000 lumen lamps used to illuminate the cavern. Utter darkness engulfs us. As our optics adjust, we beginning noticing the light rays from the faraway entrance, reflecting on the water'due south surface and bouncing off the walls. It is a delicately choreographed ballet more impressive than any homo-made mega light show.
"Someone should put this on Instagram Stories," somebody remarked, breaking the awed silence. Nosotros laugh just nobody bothers to pull out a camera – we are all as well busy soaking in the moment.
Back at our camp, at that place are no showers – merely there is something fifty-fifty better. A natural waterfall where nosotros tin absurd off in and soak the day's weariness abroad.
Before long, we are drawn to our dining tent past the irresistible odor of hearty, home-cooked food, prepared by the squad of porters. There is barbecue chicken with its skin charred to smokey perfection, Vietnamese beef stew, homemade potato chips and the local rice wine to wash it down with. Since all our mobile phones are rendered useless for the evening, we rely on the almost-forgotten art of making conversation to laissez passer the time. As nosotros dine, we joke and recount the mean solar day's experiences.
The next morning, we get set up to re-enter the caves. Today, we will swim through two of them that tunnel through the mountain nosotros hiked over the day earlier to get out of the jungle. Past now, nosotros all know the drill as nosotros lower ourselves carefully into the water, mindful of the sharp rocks beneath the surface.
Now that nosotros are accustomed to this environment, there is time to relish the surreal beauty of being underground. We admire the oddly shaped limestone stone formations, enjoy the clear water that gets progressively cooler the deeper in we swim, and even sing airheaded songs that magically sound good thank you to the wonderful acoustics of the caves.
Then, before we know it, we have wound our style back out to the other side and we are once again, back in civilisation. Predictably and nearly comically, everyone (myself included) whips out their cellphones to check emails and WhatsApp. Thankfully, the world has not ended.
I call back back to the night before, when I lay tossing and turning in my tent, unable to slumber because of the heat, bugs and other miscellaneous discomforts. Finally, I gave up, sitting upwardly to peer out of my tent. In the wilderness, the moonlight was vivid enough to illuminate the campsite. I sat in silence, taking in the view, listening to the gentle gushing of the waterfall and rustling of the leaves equally I sank into a meditative mood. I may have been far from all that I was familiar with, simply in the process, I had reconnected with the natural world in all its wonder.
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/experiences/tu-lan-cave-vietnam-246181
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