Repelling into the Pits of Hell

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So I have to say, I think this was one of the coolest days I've had since I began this trip. While in Hoi An, I went on a day trip to go repelling at Marble Mountains in Da Nang. We were told that the repelling would involved one cave drop (10m), one cliff drop (25m) and a drop into a temple at the bootom of a cave (55m). It sounded awesome, and turned out to be better than expected because what we were neglected to be told was the temple we would be repelling into was unique.



The day started out drizzly and overcast, but fortunately not enough to stop us from repelling. We completed some basic training on how to reppel before trying the 10m drop into a cave, and completed that successfully twice. We then moved onto the 25m drop down the side of a cliff - promptly becoming a tourist attraction as onlookers watched us gracefully (I hope) scale the side of the mountain several times.



The real surprise though was the repel we had been building up to - a 55m drop into a temple below ground in Am Phu Cave. All we knew that it was a temple and that it sounded like a unique experience. What we didn't know was that it was a temple that, as you went deeper into it, depicted the punishments sinners receive in hell. Everything from children being tortured (or very childlike adults) to alligators eating people. It was surreal to explore the cave and get deeper and deeper into it. I've never seen anything like it, and was definitely not expecting it from a Buddhist temple.



Dark, twisty, and awesome with the added bonus of adrenaline thrown into the mix.

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Photos

The Big Drop
55 metres down

Comments

[Mum]

Graceful???
Ruds & I approve of your blogs from Vietnam! Love from Sophie also!