Sandy Supposes....

Squawkers Caving

Day 12 Halong, Vietnam Continued...

         The staff of the cruise ship greeted me with wide grins and thumbs extended in the "all right" position this morning. Last evening's raucous karaoke has met with their enthusiastic approval. My fellow squawkers and I wave and return the smiles. Rumour has it that our vocal ploys lured a record number of curious squid. That's fine with me, I don't like to handle bait if I can avoid it. Wait a minute, didn't mermaids lure sailors with their singing? We entrance seafood?

         We're in high spirits as we cruise to Sung Sot Cave, or Surprise Grotto on Bo Hon Island. I'm impressed by all the preparation the Vietnamese have taken to make this cave accessible. Our boat moored at a large dock with other water ferries. This pointed us to an installed staircase. I glance up and sigh, only about one-hundred steep steps to climb, no problem. As I sweet-talked my reluctant knees, we were jostled and pushed along by an eager flow of tourists. Once I mounted one step there was no turning back.

         The entrance to the cave is not impressive at all. It is but a wee slash in the rock. Our guide referred to the first chamber as the waiting room and it squeezed us together. He assured us the second chamber would be more accommodating and he did not exaggerate. This cave is humongous, massive, surprisingly ginormous! In here, there are marked pathways and lighting. Many of the formations are highlighted as if they were giant sculptures awaiting our perusal.

         We were encouraged to 'see' recognizable shapes in the stalactites and stalagmites. Did we not notice the sentries guarding this cavern, or the general commanding his troops? Did some of the ragged protrusions in the ceiling not resemble the spine of a dragon? Could we be staring at stone dinosaurs? This reminded me of spotting familiar shapes in cloud formations. It's all in the eyes of the beholder.

         I liked the coolness in the cave. It's a welcome relief. Strangely, the atmosphere felt hushed, yet the many voices echoed. I expected to roust at least a bat or two, but that never transpired. Of course, we snapped pics and copious selfies.

         What goes up must come down and those many steps awaited my descent. I dreaded tripping and bowling over unsuspecting stragglers like bewildered dominos. Even a mountain goat has its limitations.

         We returned to Titop Island named in honour of a Russian cosmonaut, Titov. I declined to re-ascend the four-hundred and fifty steps to the summit. If you've seen one gazebo...Instead, I lounged on the white-sand beach and splashed in the azure water. Since this is a virtual tour, I did not fear a sunburn. I threw caution to the warm breeze and chose to swim in a bikini. I dared to dabble in a bit of snorkeling, too.

         Lyn's a Witchy Woman 💙 Carly-wrimo 2024 Apondia WakeUpAndLive~doingNaNo'24 Prosperous Snow celebrating BlueMoon and I explored the various vendors near the beach. We purchased different finger foods and combined our finds to create a makeshift picnic. Ah, sun, sand, and snacks!