Having arrived in the middle of the night in Phong Nha we chilled at Easy Tiger Hostel until we were able to check in, laying on sofas and hammocks. The hostel is really nice and offers tours of the Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park - one of which we plan to do tomorrow and I'm so excited!

Natalie, a Swedish girl called Ellie and I walked down the street and caught a long boat to see Phong Nha cave. It was so funny because the three of us ended up on a little boat with three very sweet Vietnamese boys as it was cheaper. The views as we floated along the river towards the cave were amazing; conclusively Vietnam is just SO green. I really love being in the mountains like this where you can feel it in the air - so surrounded by nature which I'm often not in England (well not in the same way!). It was extremely relaxing.

As we entered the cave the first thing I noticed was the silence. It was so quiet and serene inside that I may have actually been a little speechless. The natural world really is beautiful. Knowing that this was the least impressive of the caves in the Phong Nha National Park made we wonder just how mesmerised I would be the following day seeing the largest cave in the world. How rocks can make formations this beautiful baffles me - it all looked like it had been meticulously carved to look like that. You will have to see the photo as it is impossible to describe.

We got out the boat to walk through the cave and it was truly a beautiful sight. I bought a Vietnamese snack of what seemed to be candied nuts - peanuts in caramel and sesame seeds which was super yummy and I will definitely have more of those.

We got back on the boat and I realised that over the past couple of hours one of the Vietnamese guys had been taking close up photos of my face the entire time - so awkward and he didn't stop! The whole boat journey I pretended to be gazing out into the distance (like a model of course) while he zoomed in on my face and snapped some shots. God knows what they will turn out like! The scenery was once again beautiful and started to look mysterious as clouds moved across the distant mountains.

I went off on my own to get some street food as hostel food is expensive (so not in my budget) and plus I like to eat Vietnamese food not western food whilst in Vietnam! I got a beef Pho which was so so tasty and I have a feeling I be visiting that little restaurant again. I could see everything being cooked fresh and really enjoyed it.
After having a small nap I came down to the hostel bar and sat with Dario (a new Scottish friend), Ellie and Natalie just for a relaxing evening chatting. It was a bonus for me getting to FaceTime Emily from Cambodia for a bit as we plan to meet in Indonesia - so exciting! I am now sat here writing this looking forward to a day of adventure tomorrow... But you will have to wait for the next update to hear about that!