China Xinjiang Model: Expedition Diary Son Doong first day - Cleaning is also very ... special!

I just spent exploring the cave Son Doong travel company Oxalis. This is the only travel company to be permitted by the Vietnam government to operate a total of 12/20 Caves in Quang Binh province, which has the Son Doong cave such new, Paradise ...
[br ] our trip lasted 7 days 6 nights. Start and end date in Dong Hoi, the remaining 5 days, 4 nights in the cave.

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[center][i]Người Le Trung Cuong form of expedition cruise Son Doong [/ i] [/ center]

Quang Binh after 12 years to meet again

Pick me up at the airport Bamboo - Oxalis staff, a young man from Quang Binh, 28, rough, tough, a guy like phượt literally (I love bikes, motorcycles and mountain climbing). Sitting on the bus from the airport to the Phong Nha alone with the driver, outdoor is the sweltering heat 37 ° C, I knew that the 10 people in this cave also has an uncle who from Hanoi Vietnam 72 years on . So not alone during this speaks Vietnamese, I think.

This is my second time back to Quang Binh after 12 years. This land change much, roadside houses were built very much. I got a room at Saigon - Phong Nha, the region;s biggest hotel is located next to the Son River - where the passenger boat to Phong Nha through it each day, and about 2km from Oxalis office.

Son river bewitching beautiful afternoon. Sandy riverbeds and algae, down comforters, soft as at home. Have made great efforts to not jump um float down the river for fear of late appointment with Oxalis meeting before the trip. At high school, her mother every day I was hiding out across the waterfront pool Money, through the end isles kia.

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[center][i]Các Members of the expedition Son Doong [/ i] [/ center]
afternoon, after returning from the Son River, Bamboo car Oxalis and welcomed the delegation to the office of Oxalis. Aến now met ten new members, three young girls from the Abu Dhabi (Arab) not wearing a veil, another girl my age from Australia, three middle-aged men from Mexico, I note Cards and Hanoi. The trip was a member of Oxalis found themselves packed plastic bags to go into the cave luggage, luggage will be the local porters carried into the cave, and returned to the hotel at night.
[ br] Office Oxalis Son also located along the river, and right in the most beautiful piece. Across the river bank is a small valley, with a pale yellow church is located at the foot of the mountain, alternating between red tile roof houses. Here I also met Howard Limbert and wife Deb Limbert (who co-discovered Son Doong with Mr. Ho Khanh), and two consultants, tour guide for adventure tourism company Oxalis .

Bamboo said, Son river section near the Xuan Son ferry terminal, where many people have lost the battle in 1968. Days before Tet, the pontoon bridge across the river the team do in the evening By day they hide in caves of Phong Nha pontoon. Enemy dropping bombs, the dead are many, and this stretch is very sacred word. At that point I remembered to Con Dao and somewhat chillingly.

I;m quite surprised to know that the team pay Thuy Xuan Son plugged in before, and uncle had just conquered Mount Fanxipan months ago . My hat;s admiration age 72 chú.

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[center][i]Trung Cuong and Thuy uncle (right) and chief of Doong (middle) [/ i] [/ center]

Howard Limbert and pride Son Doong
[br ] Howard Limbert started talking about the Son Doong with passion proudly. He also raised the safety rules for members. Let me summarize the safety rules for the expedition from the talk of Howard:

The total path of the trip is about 50km, of which more than 10 km is in the cave. The path is not flat, as phPass up the mountain, once again go under deep, up and down, down and up, so during the walk in the cave.
The group included two British experts cave, a Vietnamese guide, two people assist members Vietnam, two cooks, two rangers, twenty porters (porter) and ten guests. This is probably the reason the tour price on par with a trip to Europe (over 60 million Vietnam). 10 visitors have approached 30 support staff. Until the present time, there are less than 700 people in the cave (the cave was discovered in 2010), of which more than 70 Vietnamese people (I was the 72 th), and many people had to give up halfway because too hard.

because the difficulty of exploring the participants should have experience of health and hiking, adventure travel, so the tour is classed expedition (expedition) instead explore tour out.

the journey to the cave is calculated so that the preservation of the status quo is the maximum Son Doong, minimize any changes to the ecological environment in the cave. So that the personal hygiene of the cave is quite limited for various reasons, you should be prepared for wet towels to wipe the person instead of a bath.

Go hygiene in the cave will follow the process follows: with the big bucket in the tent is covered, you defecate in buckets, then immediately had to use rice husk (provided next to) cover the waste to prevent odors. The bucket is then transported out of the cave porter.

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[center][i]Anh Bamboo guy - who led the expedition in a class Son Doong Doong own [/ i]
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in the cave ecosystem is unique. There are many types of animals and plants were first discovered in the world. There are two miniature forest in the cave, there monkeys, flying foxes, birds wingspan of up to 1.2m. Hoard also said, in the woods, on the road to the cave of the tiger and the bear couple, just one night campsite a few kilometers. Howard and his colleagues are planningSon Doong to be recognized as World Natural Wonder (Wonder World).

Howard stopped talking about the Son Doong evening at 7 hours 15 minutes, which seems like he still wants to talk to, Son Doong seems to have a personal pride he already.

So ended the first!

8 am the next day, the group will depart for breakfast and paragraphs 20km road (on the first sunny and submerged below the navel) entered the Hang En - doors leading into Son Doong.
I was incubated counsel Son swimming in the river early in the morning, before the boat carrying tourists in Phong Nha occupies the river.

P / s: I;m preparing for the first expedition like?

All requisites for use cave (5 days) will be minimal as possible, close to the plastic bags, and moved to porter to carry on my hang.Tui weighs about 3kg (medicine, toiletries, clothing, spare batteries, machinery) requisites are those along the way, I have to play on the backpack and carried on shoulders (water, camera, medical aid, mountaineering protective gear, clothes to change)
With a long long way 20km first day of rock climbing and wading streams jagged deep to waist, under the fierce sun 38 degrees, it will be heavy 5kg 50kg on his back.

Source: Le Trung Cuong Model [ br]
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