Visiting Cuc Phuong National Park - Part 2

Within a few hours from Phat Diem is Cu Phuong National Park. It was formed in 1962 by Ho Chi Minh. Consisting of two whole mountain ranges, we got a chance to walk for, oh, I don't know, may a few thousand miles. At least it felt like it. And such a story.

Then came the walk. The trails are mostly paved with flat rocks and cement. Once under the canopy of the trees, the temperature dropped markedly, but the humidity seemed to rise. While too high to be considered a rainforest, it is definitely a wet place to be.

Then we came upon a whole lotta nope. The spider was lying in wait for someone big like me. It's size was about as big as my hand. We also saw a blue crab about six inches across that walked across the path.

The springs coming down from the mountains are very shallow and, while having muddy bottoms, are clear. The sound they make is very subtle and soothing.

We were told to stay on the trail because this is a wildlife sanctuary and it is against the law to hurt any of the animals or vegetation.

The canopy goes high up and the sun does not pierce down very far. We found few clearings, each of which were tiny because things grow quickly when there is sun.




It took us over an hour, but we finally got to the 1,000 year old tree. It is famous all over Vietnam and tourists come here to see it. We took lots of pictures and spent some time relaxing under its branches.

On the way back, we encountered a nest of wasps. Everyone says they were bees, but I think the little buggers were at least a foot across and could kill a person. Here you can see that The got stung on his face. The sisters crushed a local plant stem and applied it. Then, to seal it all in, they applied some Laughing Cow cheese. This is how he looked all day long. I  got stung, also, but not that badly.

We finally made it back to the bus. The whole walk took about  2 1/2 hours and I was exhausted from climbing up and down stairs. But it was all worth it. I will always remember the beauty of Cuc Phuong.

On the way  back, the guys wanted to stop at the local mall. The first floor consisted of eight clothing stores and the entire second floor was a huge supermarket. Sorry, I don't have more  pictures of the place.