Paradise Cave

In December 2010 one of my co-workers showed me an article in the January 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine that made me thrilled. The article was about a newly discovered cave in VietNam and it was considered the largest complex of caves in the world. This system of interconnected caves was discovered in 2005 by scientists from the British Cave Research Association with the help of a local man. It is the most beautiful cave in the Phong Nha Ke Bang area, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The whole length is 31 km long but only 900m was opened to the public. The world's biggest cave, Sơn Động, is also in this complex.

I am not really into cave but this one is not like anything i had seen before. Looking at the pictures i was spellbound by the beauty and dream of the day to visit.

The opportunity came in January 2011 when i went back to VietNam with friends and family. When we came to Hue, the ancient capital, the chance to visit the cave materialized and after a road trip of almost 5 hours we finally arrived at the place. Once there we learned that the cave was only opened to the public since September of 2010 and it was closed from October to almost the end of December due to a big flood. The ticket price to visit the cave was $120,000 in Vietnamese currency and we paid an extra $100,000 for the ride on the golf cart to the cave entrance since we didn't want to walk the 1 mile road.



There were 524 steps up to the cave opening. I was so thankful that it was a cool day :-). This picture is at the 500th step



The hike up took us throug a forest setting and i noticed a lot of plants with name tags.



Once we reached the top we were give a presentation about the cave.



Then our tour guide led us to a staircase about 100 steps down before we ended up on the nearly 1 km wooden boardwalk through the cave. At the start of the staircase we were greeted by a huge column of stalagmite



the inside opened up to a grand space where the ceiling was filled with colors





at the end of the stairs i looked back at the cave entrance



from this points on i was speechless because as we went through the cave its beauty was beyond words. We were the only group in the cave and i felt like i was walking inside the most magnificent and grand cathedral ever built, colorful and serene, even the Sistine Chapel or Saint Peter Basilica were pale in comparison. The most elaborate Baroque churches in Europe or South America were mere imitations of what mother nature could do artistically







the colors of the rock are the things that set this cave apart from others, imho. I am glad that white light is used in most places



The formation of stalactites and stalagmites here are very unique











this one reminded us of the ceremonial house in central VietNam by ethnic people



reflection pool where the water was still like a mirror



We spent about 3 hours in the cave and when the tour was over nobody wanted to leave. This place is truly a heavenly site and i felt so very lucky to have been there.

Slide show

National Geographic article 1
National Geographic article 2

Phong Nha National Park

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Lake Bled

When i saw lake Bled for the first time while looking through a travel catalogue quite a few years ago i immediate fell in love with the place.

This tiny romantic town in Slovenia is located in the Julian Alps. The town is famous for the glacial lake Bled with a small island in the middle. The island is the only natural island in Slovenia. In the middle of the island is the Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Mary where wedding is a popular event. The groom usually carries the bride up the 99 steps to the church.

My trip to lake Bled was in February 2008, it was kind of unplanned because i saw an online tour deal back in December which was hard to resist so i asked my aunts and their friends to join me.

The lake with the island in the middle and the charming town around was more beautiful than i expected. The walk around the lake was so picturesque and the sight of the island was visible everywhere. It was like in the fairy tale land.

There was hardly any tourist around, many restaurants were closed or on shorter hours, the streets pretty empty and i felt so at home there. In the afternoon the scenery by the side of the lake with fog rolling and the church on the island slowly became a silhouette was just breathtaking. The weather was quite chilly and foggy but i think it was great for photography because of the magical look.





We went up to the castle



for a tour and enjoyed so much the view down to the lake.


From the bus to the castle i took this favorite picture of the lake and the island



For lunch one day we chose Vila Bled which was the former residence of Yugoslavian president Tito. When we walked into the restaurant there was no light and looked like nobody was there, the dining room was empty. As we were wondering what was going on, a lady came out and we asked if they were open for lunch. She looked at us for a moment and said 'please wait', then she went inside for a moment and came out to tell us 'yes, we can serve you lunch'. The dining room looked elegant but kind of dated, imho. We had a nice meal, the service was warm and attentive.



After the meal we strolled along the lake to get back to the hotel.



It was getting late in the afternoon and fog started rolling in and i turned back to look at the island. The misty sight was quite breath-taking



Besides the island the town of Bled is also famous for a desert called Kremma Rezina which we could not miss since the best bakery in town was right down the street from our hotel. The custardy cake was great, not too sweet, and the bakery quickly became our daily coffee stop because it also has many other wonderful treats. I like this one even more than the Kremma Rezina :-)



For dinner we went to a local restaurant where we had wonderful brothy seafood soup and grilled squid with beer



From lake Bled we took the train to Ljubljana, the capital, which is a cute and lively little city with many art nouveau buildings and vibrant cafes along the river.

Slovenia slide show

Waterfalls in Yosemite

"As long as I live, I'll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing. I'll interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm, and the avalanche. I'll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of the world as I can." — from The Journals of John Muir


The waterfalls make me fall in love with this little paradise.


Lower Yosemite Fall

An easy walk takes you right to the foot of the fall with spectacular view of the upper fall on the way.



at the popular lower fall there is usually a big crowd in spring and summer so it helps to go at a less popular time






Upper Yosemite Fall

This part of the fall can be seen from literally every where in the park.

from the swinging bridge



from the Merced river at housekeeping camp



from the meadow





both parts of the fall could be seen from many places, even from roadside





Vernal Fall

.75 mile from the shuttle stop will take you to the foot bridge where you could see the fall from afar



another .75 mile takes you to the top of the fall via the Mist Trail which probably got the name from the mist of the fall where you climb a long stretch of stairs (could be slippery) at the end but as you go up the trail the sight of the fall will be quite imposing and awesome, the sound of the water was thunderous. Make sure you bring a poncho or have waterproof clothing if you don't want to get soaking wet :-)





once you get to the top, the view is worth the climb, from there you could see the tiny people back at the foot bridge :-)



looking upstream




Bridal Veil Fall

This fall could be reached by a short hike which will get you soaking wet during spring time but you will be rewarded with spectacular sight and sound once you get there :-). Bridal Veil could also be seen from many different places in the park including the famous Tunnel View





There is also Nevada Fall which i hope to get to one day

Yosemite National Park valley hikes

Yosemite in Winter

"I must return to the mountains—to Yosemite. I am told that the winter storms there will not be easily borne, but I am bewitched, enchanted, and tomorrow I must start for the great temple to listen to the winter songs and sermons preached and sung only there." — John Muir, Letter to Mrs. Ezra Carr (November 15, 1869)


One of my most memorable trips is to Yosemite National Park in the winter of 2005. I had never seen snow falling since I came to the US as a 'boat people' from Vietnam in 1975 so one day in February 2005 i asked my two aunts and their two friends to join me for a train trip to Yosemite over the weekend, hoping for a chance to catch the falling snow in my favorite national park.

We left the Los Angeles central station at around 1am by bus to Bakersfield where we transferred to the train which took us to Merced. From Merced we took the YART bus into the Yosemite valley. We arrived in front of the village registration area at 10am. All of these transfers are included in the Amtrak ticket price.

Despite the long and busy night the morning bus ride to the valley was beautiful.



When we arrived the weather was cold but there was no trace of snow on the ground. I was somewhat disappointed but since we all love Yosemite we enjoyed the park anyway. There were not a lot of visitors so in many parts of the valley we pretty much had the place to ourselves.





The Yosemite fall was still spectacular :-)




and the stream of water was replaced by a stream of snow which looked like powdered sugar



At one point it even rained






On the last night, after a nice dinner at the Awahnee hotel



we walked to the shuttle stop and my aunt said she saw the announcement at the registration desk that there would be a 50% chance of snow the next day, when we had to leave at 10 in the morning. We looked at each other and wondered how could it possibly snow when it was not that cold, it would take a miracle.

Early the next morning i woke up at 6am and something inside made me lift up the curtain to look outside even though it was still quite dark. Without the glasses i could not see clearly but i noticed that the little tree in front of the room seemed to bend down as if there was something on it. With the glasses on i could not believe what i saw, it was snow! I then casted my eyes farther and saw the whole area blanketed under a white cover, beyond my widest dream.

I yelled, woke everybody up and we all ran outside. The scenery was so breathtaking with all the pine trees covered with snow,



'but the snow was not falling' i thought sadly to myself. As we continued to be amazed at the transformation of the valley ino a winter wonderland, soon after 7am, we started noticing white particles in the air, we looked up to the sky and sure enough snow began to fall. The sky was filled with cotton-light flakes and i screamed of joy!



The snow continued to come down for about 5 minutes, then it stopped. We spent the next few hours wandering in the park to enjoy the magical white landscape












and by the time we left to catch the bus the sun began to shine through the clouds, the snow started to melt quickly, and water dropped from the trees like rain.

One the way to the bus stop i looked up and saw this spectacular sight!



Back on the bus we were continued to be mesmerized by the magnificent sceneries





I will never forget this incredible experience and I think miracle does happen, as if someone up there had heard my silent wishes :-)