VietNamNet Bridge – Thien Ha grotto in Ninh Binh Province was named
Galaxy by its first explorers. They found a sea of stalactite needles
filling the heart of the underground wonderland. The sight is truly
heavenly, like something out of space.
It takes a pleasant half an hour rowing along the Ben Dang river
through horizons of paddy fields and wild grass to reach the site of the grotto on a steep hillside in the Tuong mountain range. The mountains
form a natural wall that protected the ancient capital of Hoa Lu for
centuries.
After a short walk through
the forest from the river, I found myself at an opening leading down
into the grotto. According to our guide from Star Travel, Tran Ngoc Tien,
the 12,000sq.m grotto is nearly a kilometre long, much of it with running
water and the rest dry as a bone.
It's possible to hop on a boat
at the grotto entrance and thread one's way into the water-filled part of
the cavern. However, most visitors stay to explore Heaven Gate, the
opening to the grotto.
I leaned my head back and looked upwards to contemplate the heavenly
sight. Sunlight poured through the entrance of the grotto, casting shadows
on the walls. I struggled without success to keep my feet dry.
"This
is the jaw-dropping hidden utopia that some locals chanced upon when
hunting for snakes some time around 2006," said Tien, the guide, as we
climbed winding stone stairs that lead to an upper floor.
"Archaeologists
have found the remains of various species of molluscs, such as mountain
snails and oysters," said Tien. "This shows that the grotto was a living
place for the first Vietnamese people".
Under the guidance of
Tien, myself and three other tourists sat on a boat rowed by a villager.
As he skillfully steered the wooden boat through the "wet" portion of
the grotto, he constantly reminded us to watch our heads. The sharp
stalactites can be dangerous in a grotto with ceilings at most 1m from the
water.
Stalactites from the ceiling and walls come in a great
variety of shapes and colours. Every one is unique. "Soda-straw"
stalactites are not as common as "dew-drops", finger and petal-shaped
tubular growths.
Stalactites lend themselves to strange and fancy names. I was
particularly impressed with those that reminded me of firm young
breasts.
We stopped constantly to take photos of the breathtaking
scenery, forgetting about the time. We returned to reality only at the
sound of the boatman's voice as he rowed through the heart of the
mountain.
"When boating through the wet part of the grotto, it's
hard to take one's eyes off the ceiling. There are so many forms and
shapes jutting out from all sides," said Thanh Lam, a tourist from HCM
City.
"I lost count of how many times I've visited this cave.
Whenever I stay in Ha Noi I go to Ninh Binh to explore the vast cave
system here," he said.
"I enjoy sitting on the boat, catching
droplets from the stalactites above and letting the cool water caress my
face and hands," another said.
"What I find striking here is that the system of stalactites are still ‘alive' and continue to grow."
As
we neared the end of the grotto, the murmurs and flash-lights from other
boats behind us suddenly woke hundreds of bats hanging on its wall - a
fitting end to a magical tour. After half a day of exploring, we headed
back to the boat jetty for a well-deserved rest and a bite to eat.
There
aren't a lot of options, but Star Travel's restaurant offers a diverse
treat of local dishes, such as steamed mountain snails, chicken wrapped
in lotus leaves, fried crabs, young bamboo shoots and stir-fried
mountain goat.
The Trang An scenic landscape complex in Ninh Binh,
recognised this June as Viet Nam's newest UNESCO World's Heritage Site,
includes Hoa Lu, Tam Coc karsts and the Thien Ha grotto. The grotto, opened
in 2010, still draws many adventurers.
Getting to Ninh Binh with Vietnamguidebook: http://vietnamguidebook.blogspot.com/2012/09/ninh-binh.html
(Source: VNS/VNN - http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/travel/112327/exploring-celestial-thien-ha.html)
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