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A typhoon formed along the coast, bringing with it rain and humidity to complement the intense summer heat. The mountain range loomed in front of us, steep and imposing, all the more treacherous as the rain persisted. The jungle of Phong Nha. Even in more pleasant weather, this would be no trivial task. Captain Dai signalled to the group for departure. We donned our gloves and helmets and set off. The narrow path wound up the mountain. We trekked, pushing aside the overgrowth of the jungle. We passed no other hikers and left no evidence of our presence. The wild sounds of the jungle were peaceful but spoiled by the buzzing of thirsty mosquitoes. The mouth of the cave was easy to spot as the river fell out wide. There was no other way across but to swim. Sliding in fully clothed felt strange, but as the water weighed us down it was instinct to kick to the other side. Something brushed against my ankle. Was it my shoelace or something else? Dai had mentioned the variety of eels and fish in these waters, and as I got out, I found my shoelaces still tied up. We air-dried as we walked away from the natural light, through the vast empty cave. The small particles suspended in the beam of the headlights whirled like fairy dust. Observing them gave a sense that we too were floating. It was striking the difference from one chamber to the next. My attention fixated on the rock folds around as I tripped on the jagged path. There was too much to appreciate. The caves ecosystem was alive with diverse features. Overhead, the brave stalactites clung to the ceiling so tight, tears rolled off with a quiet drip echoing in chorus. The limestone walls were smoothed by water leaving a waxy glow. The stalagmites were dainty compared to their siblings above. They clumped together like forests of coral waiting to be washed with the rivers long since dry. Climbing much deeper we found the flowing river. It was clear the devastating impact of the typhoon, what should have been a gentle stream was now a raging river, too deadly to swim through. With no option to walk we elected to clamber across the rock face. No harness, just staying low and close to the rocks. My heart raced as I looked down. If my grip failed, I would surely drown. We prepared for this but still, my arms shook as I reached for the next hold, and carefully chose my foot placement. My headlight lit up a spider who had made his home in a rock pocket. I could see no other option for my hand. I crushed the spider in my glove as I hoisted my body up to safety. I exhaled loudly but the challenges were not over. We continued out to conquer the next mountain. The steps dawdled, sweating through the humid rain. Constant steep, wet, muddy, slippery conditions. My legs felt like jelly and Dai energetically yelled “halfway” about three times; which almost killed me. At the top, we were so high up that we looked out at the cloud over the misty jungle. Inside this cave was large, wide, and dark. It was filled with bats and bugs flying around in front of our lamps. We avoided talking so we didn’t eat the insects. We walked deeper into the cave, gathered around and turned our lights off. The darkness wasn’t just black, the depth was from an absence of light. It was silent. The tunnel was narrowing as we climbed up. We squeezed through sideways, there was no room to turn around. A small opening revealed a ledge. Not all of us could stand up straight. We had reached a point where the only way down was by rope. The swirling darkness loomed below, our headlights only revealed so far. As I stood on the edge, with the rope sturdily around my body, I couldn’t decide if it was fear or excitement I felt. What was down there… I had to know.