Cruising Halong Bay in Vietnam (Pt. 2): Caving at Hang Sung Sot

I feel like it’s been ages since my last post (and, indeed, it was). I suppose it was because too many things happened at once, and one of them was…. it’s November (ikr, canyoubelieveit!). It felt like just a few weeks ago when the world was waving in 2016, and now. WOW. Surprise, surprise, 2017 is just a few weeks away. But here’s another surprise. More like, “Cave of Surprises”, which is the meaning of “Hang Sung Sot“, the most famous and most visited cave in Halong Bay.

After all that paddling that we did, I wondered whether we’d still keep at it on the way to the next destination in that afternoon’s itinerary. Don’t get me wrong. I loved it. I enjoyed gliding on the water on the kayak. What I didn’t particularly love was having to do it all be my lonesome, haha!

So I felt a relatively huge amount of relief when I saw this sign. 🙂

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We reboarded the tender, said goodbye to our kayaks, and set off for the next destination. I was half-expecting a huge crowd, since the couple of blogs that I read before on this particular spot on Halong Bay warned about having to contend with lots of people on your visit.

But, surprisingly, there weren’t a lot of people around. Maybe it’s because it was already close to 6pm. (And yes, it’s still bright out. Where I’m from, I felt like it was only 4pm.

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Look up, and you’ll see a glimpse of the entrance to Hang Sung Sot.

Hang Sung Sot literally translates to “Cave of Surprises”. It is one of several caves in Halong Bay, but it is the most visited, the most popular and, according to Liem (our guide), also the most beautiful. Just like the other caves, it was formed from mountain erosions brought about by long spells of rain and floods millions of years ago. Over time, the eroded parts turned into the caves that are visited by millions of tourists every year.

The cave is located on Bo Hon Island, with the entrance overlooking the bay, 25 meters above sea level. The pic below shows the exit, though.

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There’s the entrance, lower than where visitors will exit after touring the interior of the cave.

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6pm, and our tender docked so we can get off, with Liem leading the way. I think having a guide is a must, cuz I haven’t seen other visitors arrive on their own (like walk-ins).

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I must say that it is verrrrrry tourist-friendly. Unless you have a health condition that prohibits you from being moderately winded, or you don’t like enclosed and dark spaces, then you’d be quite all right. The pathway leading up to the entrance is a set of concrete steps made for an easy ascent.

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I see you, Puerto Princesa Underground River! I’m not gonna lie, but I felt a great measure of pride seeing a gem of my country included in the list. And knowing that there are even more beautiful and more amazing places still to be discovered in the many islands of the Philippines.

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The entrance is also a viewdeck, by the way, which gives you a view of the bay and the karsts lined up in the distance. Somehow, the sight of the cruise boats and tenders added to its appeal.

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6:10pm, we descended into the Cave. I immediately noticed the lights strategically situated to illuminate key areas in the cave.

According to Liem, this Cave was discovered by the French way back in 1901 and, at that time, called it the grotte des surprises, or “grotto of surprises”, which then evolved and was adapted into han sung sot or “cave of surprises”, the name used today.

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Stalactites, stalagmites, rock formations…. you’d see cave staples here. Unlike the other caves I’ve gone, though, the rocks aren’t moist or wet.

And it really did not surprise me at all when I saw phallic symbols. They, too, have become cave staples. At least, in my books.

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From the outer cavern or chamber, it is time to move into the second chamber, which can be reached by going through a low and quite narrow crevice, enough to fit one person. I suppose this is where claustrophobic people might have issues, but it’s relatively short, and barely lasted a couple of minutes, so I think it should be manageable.

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It’s in the second chamber that I was in for the “surprise” part. Still the cave staples are in sight, but what really amazed me was how vast it is.

Just take a look at the photo below. They are on the other side of the chamber…. another group of visitors now nearing the end of their circuit of the Cave.

Apparently, the Cave, especially this Chamber, is 30 meters high from floor to ceiling.

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Ladies and gentlemen, the Cock Rock.

LOL.

Well, I wish I had a better photo, but the lighting was poor, and my camera’s not really for taking photos in dim light, and we were just amused at how this thing looked. And the reaction of the 10-year-old boy in our group, going “that ain’t no penis~!” in a tone that almost sound like he was offended.

But, really, according to the locals, this is a fertility rock. I don’t know exactly what it does, but… yeah.

(The fact that it was lit up made it kinda hilarious.)

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So. Yeah. That was the Cock Rock. (and no, I wasn’t the one that came up with that name.)

Another thing that I liked was the lighting. They set up different colored lights, giving an almost ethereal and other-worldly feel to the place. There was an almost reverential feel to it, like you’re walking on sacred ground, and you shouldn’t make too much noise, lest a goddess wake up from her slumber and curse you for being the culprit. Haha!

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And more plus points, and that’s because of how the pathways were designed specifically for leisurely and relaxed walking, which means, AGAIN, that even older people can come visit without risking getting injured or having painful soles. Or ruining their footwear.

Lighting’s dim, though, so you still have to be extra careful where you step, because there were some parts that can be quite slippery.

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One of the things that I love about going to caves is how your imagination is stimulated. A guide may point out certain formations that resemble a figure or a shape, but you can just look up, look around, and let your imagination guide you when trying to discern formations on the rocks.

(Now that could be frustrating if you’re having trouble spotting what everyone else is seeing on the rock formations, so I think it’s better to let your own imagination run wild, haha!)

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6:50pm, we emerged into the light. And I can’t believe it’s been more than three-quarters of an hour since we entered the cave! It felt so short, mind you, almost like just 20 minutes. 🙂

This was the last formation that Liem pointed out, which looked like two huge pairs of feet dangling on the ledge.

There’s like a huge table filled with souvenirs and knickknacks for those who want to buy something off the place, but we weren’t about that life at that time, so we just took more photos and went down to the dock to wait for our tender to come pick us up.

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There were lesser people now. If my sucky memory serves me right, we were only one of two groups, and this was largely because most of the visitors came in earlier during the day. I think it was Liem’s plan all along, to avoid us getting caught up in a long parade of people inside the cave.

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By the way, in the above photo, on the lower right, that’s Liem with us, gamely taking a photo with the three-girls-having-fun-with-a-self-stick. (Yes, my two friends called it a “self-stick”. Because that’s what they (initially) thought it’s really called.)

7pm, we finally reboarded the tender, which will take us back to our cruise boat, and this marks the end of our “outdoor” adventures on day 1 of the cruise.

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This made me wonder about the other caves in Halong Bay, which are included in other tour itineraries. Since we only got the one-day-one-night package, we only got to go to Hang Sung Sot, which was (to me) already quite satisfying. Like, apparently, within range of Hang Sung Sot, in the Bo Hon island range, are two other caves: Hang Trin Nu (Virgin Cave) – which is ideal for lovers and couples – and Hang Trong (Drum Cave).

Among the numerous caves, however, Hang Sung Sot is the one that is most visited and, again, to quote our guide (and other sources), the most beautiful.

So, what did I really think of it? I give it an 7 out of 10. (Because hey, not all caves can be like the raw mostly untouched – is it still? – Capisaan Cave, ya noe what I mean?)

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