House by the lake
N 17°37'04.8'' E 106°22'35.7''
Date:
30.11.2016 until 07.12.2016
Day: 523 – 530
Country:
Vietnam
Province:
Quảng Bình
Location:
Lake House Hotel
Latitude N:
17°37’04.8”
Longitude E:
106°22’35.7”
Daily kilometers:
10
Total kilometers:
21,002 km
Total altitude meters:
58.432 m
Sunrise:
06:07 a.m. – 06:12 a.m.
Sunset:
5:17 pm – 5:19 pm
Temperature day max:
19°C
(Photos of the diary entry can be found at the end of the text).
Because Ben’s guesthouse is fully booked, yesterday we looked at the Lake House Hotel on Dong Suong Lake, just 3 kilometers away. “Wicked,” I said as we stood on the large terrace and looked out over the breathtakingly beautiful and peaceful lake. “We’ll be back tomorrow”, we promised, after agreeing that we had discovered one of the most beautiful places of the past 18 months of travel.
“Welcome Tanja, Denis and Ajaciiii!”, the receptionist Sandy greets us extremely cheerfully, almost a little euphorically. We unload the bikes and park them in a safe place next to a storage shed just as two guys from the staff start to carry our equipment to our bungalow. “Awesome!” says Tanja as we move into our apartment, whose balcony was built right on the water. Spellbound by the gentle aura of the lake, we stand on the small veranda and look out over the jungle-covered opposite shore. Deep monsoon clouds drift over the tropical forest, literally sucking in the distant areas of the jungle and bringing in a humid breeze. A few ducks swim past us, quacking, while out on the water a lone fisherman casts his net. “A place to stay and write about the last few weeks,” I say contentedly, because as always I’m behind with my notes due to the wealth of experiences.
In between my work, I take Ajaci on a kayak and explore the lake. We enjoy the time and hardly notice how it passes, like the wind whispering softly over the water. As I write these lines, I am looking out over the jungle lake, which is located not far from the 86,000-hectare Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, right where the land forms a narrow bridge between the South China Sea and Laos. In 2003, the park, which forms the core of the last closed forest area in central Vietnam, was added to Vietnam’s list of World Heritage Sites. “We are in an extraordinary protected area, which has become famous for its bizarre limestone cliffs and caves, as well as its enormous biodiversity,” I say to Tanja. “Sounds interesting.” “Absolutely. It says here that this region comprises one of the two largest limestone areas in the world and that there are several hundred caves here, including kilometers of passages with stalactites, stalagmites and underground waterfalls. Some of the rivers even disappear for many kilometers under the mountains and it is possible to visit this world on an excursion,” I read and feel my adventurous heart ignite. “We should definitely do that before we continue our journey,” Tanja replies enthusiastically. “Definitely. It’s crazy what this country has to offer.”…
If you would like to find out more about our adventures, you can find our books under this link.
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