If you ask me which day of the expedition is the most difficult, I will tell you without hesitation that it is the third day. Why? Because you'll be doing a lot of walking today. You may experience a lot of ups and downs. Hiking enthusiasts should make the most of this day.
On the third day, I awoke at 7.30 a.m. in a tent at Hung Dung campsite. I put on clean clothes and went to breakfast. We'd ordered breakfast the night before, and everyone's usual options were pancakes or instant noodles. I filled up on breakfast of instant noodles with beef, fruit, tea, pancakes and of course chillies. I enjoy spicy foods. I have one more sweet ginger tea before the team departs at 9 a.m. The guides told us that anything we didn't need on the trek could be put in a small plastic bag and taken back to the basecamp. Aside from water, we shouldn't bring much on the trek.
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Please remember to stay hydrated by drinking before you are thirsty!!!**
The first part of the trek was fairly straightforward. I booked the trip during the summer, but the rain last night made the weather that day much cooler. Yeah! Brilliant time for hiking. It took us an hour from the camp to the top of the hill, and we have sometimes to take a break, then drink some water or have some snacks to refill energy for a challenging upcoming.
The most difficult part begins here. We'll walk for about 8 kilometres and climb about 350 meters. The rain overnight made the steep hikes through the jungle and a lot of ups and downs the mountains more challenging as it became slippery and muddy.
The sun came out just as we arrived in the valley. We had many great photo opportunities here. Hike through the jungle to Hung Nhai Valley, a picturesque valley where we would set up for lunch. I was very hungry and I was really looking forward to my food which we had at a gorgeous little spot sat in the river. I was starving and looking forward to my lunch, which we were going to have at a beautiful little spot along the river. We had lunch at 1 pm, which consisted of fried rice, Laughing Cow cheese, Oreo cookies, Choco pie chocolate cookies, and boiled eggs. After lunch, I told the guide that I really wanted to see the Bat Cave, and he escorted me there. Looking back to the valley is an amazing view with a spectacular waterfall. The river Cave is not large, but it felt cooler once I got inside since the wind blows through here. There are numerous Bats living on the dark ceiling of the cave, and the water flowing from where I swam is teeming with snails. The porters refill more water for us before we set off.
We kept going until we got to the last two hills. Ascend and descend about 250 meters to reach the other side of the valley. A short hike upstream took us to the stunning Hang Tien campsite and a beautiful blue lagoon. The underground river comes up here, creating a refreshing natural swimming pool where natural swimming pool.
we returned to camp around 18:00 to relax after our long trek and enjoy a fantastic dinner with the rest of the team in one of the world's best campsites. It was also the last night of the expedition.
