A rare marriage proposal in Son Doong - the world's largest cave

Alesha and Jarryd started their trip around the world in 2008. One of the unforgettable memories for this pair of Australian backpackers was the Son Doong expedition in early 2015. "At that moment, I knelt down and said that my love for her was greater than anything in the world," Jarryd recalled.

"More people have stood on Mount Everest than have ever set foot in Son Doong cave, and we are one of the lucky few who have the opportunity to experience this adventure," Alesha and Jarryd shared. The two were fortunate to be guided by Ho Khanh himself - the first person to discover Son Doong cave while going through the jungle and looking for shelter from the rain - on the trip of a lifetime. He is currently the captain of the porter team serving the Son Doong tour.  

Jarryd and Alesha called the porter who guided guests to Son Doong true heroes on their cave exploration journey. They liken the porters to Nepal's sherpas -  "the soundtrack to the victory song" of climbers conquering Everest.  "These men are all from Quang Binh, and used to make a living through many occupations such as farming, hunting and cutting firewood. What they have in common is the ability to survive and overcome the forests of Phong Nha. 

20 porters, two chefs, two rangers, two assistant guides, one tour guide and two British cave experts form a team to lead 10 guests on a 5-day, 4-night tour into the world's largest cave." , said Australian blogger. 

According to Alesha, many people are willing to spend hundreds of dollars to buy backpacking shoes that apply the latest technology for expeditions. As for those who go to Phong Nha forest, they only use rubber sandals that cost about tens of thousands of dong at the rural market. They quickly climbed cliffs, crossed rivers, and traversed forests for weeks wearing these simple rubber sandals. "Watching foreign tourists struggle to overcome difficult terrain in shoes that sometimes cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars is interesting for porters, who are quite satisfied with rubber sandals," Alesha expressed. 

In some areas of the cave, members need to rely on special equipment such as safety ropes, climbing rings and hooks as well as cable systems to safely cross the cliffs. With the guidance of a veteran guide, Jarryd and Alesha and their group members climbed over large cliffs, sometimes with abyss on both sides of their path. In addition to climbing skills, visitors need to have strong physical strength to overcome the journey in the cave. In just a few minutes, they were completely separated from the outside world, stepping down into a dark place. 

There are many entertainment activities when living for many days in the cave, the most popular are playing cards, singing and drinking rice wine. Vietnamese porters constantly challenge each other through challenges to show off their physical strength. Arm wrestling was one such activity, and the men excitedly got everyone involved. Despite their modest appearance, their energy and strength were amazing, just like professional athletes who went to explore caves, Jarryd said. 

"Camping in Son Doong cave is one of the most unique and impressive experiences in the world. Each season, porters will bring enough equipment to camp, including tables, chairs, cooking utensils and even including the toilet. At the end of the cave season, everything will be taken out, including the waste," Alesha shared.

When exploring the national park, cavers and porters subsist on rice and whatever they can find from the forest. On the contrary, the Son Doong tour has two standard chefs participating in leading the group. The moment when they sat down to dinner with other tourists in the world's largest cave was very impressive for Jarryd and Alesha. They enjoy grilled pork ribs, fried chicken, stir-fried vegetables and fried tofu. A strenuous tour requires energy-rich foods, so each porter must carry up to 45 kg of belongings. 

The second campsite in Son Doong cave is located under a sinkhole filled with moss and bushes. From inside the tent, Jarryd and Alesha could look up at the stars, behind them was the endless darkness of the entire cave. Both revealed that local people have faith in spirituality and always consider the forest their home. The second campsite in Son Doong cave is located under a sinkhole filled with moss and bushes.

Son Doong Cave is so large that it has its own forest called Edam Garden, underground river and its own climate. Clouds form in the cave, flying over the exits and sinkholes. When trekking through the sinkhole amid giant stalagmites and towering foliage, the vast ceiling overhead, visitors easily forget that they are actually deep below an underground cave. The underground river flows continuously inside the cave, creating spaces. Bright blue water shines from the river thanks to passing through layers of limestone sediments. 

On the journey to explore the cave, visitors must cross this stream many times. Once on the riverbed, visitors will need to follow the guiding rope to ensure safety. The underground river flows continuously inside the cave, creating spaces. Bright blue water shines from the river thanks to passing through layers of limestone sediments. On the journey to explore the cave, visitors must cross this stream many times. 

 “Watch out for dinosaurs!” is how cave explorer Howard Limbert reminded Jarryd when he reached sinkhole 1, where light could shine inside. Here, Jarryd asked Alesha to climb a limestone stalagmite to take a photo. The rare sunlight shined behind them, they looked into each other's eyes and Alesha wondered how they should pose. "

At that moment, I knelt down and said that my love for her was greater than everything in the world, including this cave. A tear rolled from the corner of my eye, I proposed marriage to the girl of my dreams. She closed her eyes, burst into tears and agreed," Jarryd revealed.