"Treasure" of Pu Luong land and sky

Kho Muong is so beautiful! It is like a treasure that nature has bestowed upon mankind.

Perhaps in Thanh Hoa, there is no place greener than Kho Muong village (Thanh Son commune, Ba Thuoc district, Thanh Hoa province) of Pu Luong nature reserve. Every time I want to escape from the dust of the city, the noise of vehicles and the scorching sun, I come back to Kho Muong village. This place not only has green nature, towering mountain peaks with white clouds across the sky, cool streams, fresh air in the valley but is also especially attractive because of its delicious food.

Pu Luong in the ripe rice season with beautiful trekking routes

From Nghi Son town, we drove along the Nghi Son - Sao Vang route, through Tho Xuan, Ngoc Lac, Lang Chanh, into Canh Nang town of Ba Thuoc district. Moving another 20km along National Highway 15C, we arrived at Pu Luong Nature Reserve. On the road leading to Pu Luong from Canh Nang town, the car drove under the shade of green forests. Along the road, we occasionally came across small waterfalls pouring down from the cliffs. There were waterfalls with white water pouring down, there were waterfalls with gentle murmuring.

When we reached the signpost to Kho Muong village, we turned right and went down a slope. There was the welcome gate of Kho Muong village, so we drove a little further and pulled into the parking lot. There were already ten motorbike taxi drivers waiting there. Kho Muong village and Bat Cave have quite a lot of tourists visiting on weekends. The road to the village is not suitable for cars because it is narrow and steep, you can only go by motorbike. Uncle Nech's house is located on the left side of the end of the steep road to the village. He is the village chief, so when we stayed here, he told us many interesting stories.

The stilt house in the rainy night

The stilt house is probably the main house of Uncle Nech’s family. His house is a homestay so the house is for guests to stay. After 9 steps of stairs is a large floor with enough space for more than 10 people. We only had 4 adults and 3 children so we were very comfortable. The children ran around the stilt house. They enjoyed running after the chickens, chasing the cats and petting the head of the gentle puppy.

Lunch was served right at the foot of the stilt house with fragrant grilled chicken. The floor was high so from the foot of the stilt house, we sat and watched the rice fields and the towering mountain peaks while enjoying the delicious meal. I was looking forward to a cool rain in the valley, but that afternoon there was only a few drops of rain. That night, I was satisfied with the pouring rain. On the porch, I listened to the sound of pouring rain in the night, watched the rainwater flow down in streams from the roof under the yellow light. Lying down at night listening to the sound of falling rain, I seemed to hear every single word of my heart.

Is Bat Cave a miniature Son Doong?

Bat Cave with many giant stalactites of unique shapes

When we arrived, the green rice fields in Kho Muong were beginning to bear fruit. The road to Bat Cave was invested and cared for by the local people for tourism . The rows of areca trees along the road were planted in straight lines, interspersed with colorful flower bushes. On one side of the road was a stream with clear water that allowed you to see the pebbles at the bottom, on the other side were green rice fields rustling in the wind, and in the distance were the high mountains surrounding the valley.

From afar, hundreds of birds were flying around. When they reached the Bat Cave, they gathered together on the steep white limestone cliff in front of the cave. Suddenly, they flew away as if they had disappeared into the air, and a moment later, the whole flock returned. Western tourists were delighted to stand there pointing and raising their cameras to take pictures. When we passed by, everyone smiled friendly and said “Hello”.

Perhaps, before the heartbreaking beauty of nature here on an autumn afternoon, tourists of different skin colors all shared the same exclamation. Kho Muong is so beautiful! It is like a treasure that nature has bestowed upon mankind.

The road to Bat Cave is not difficult, children can climb with their parents. We were extremely surprised because Bat Cave looks like a miniature image of Son Doong Cave. The cave mouth is wide open with a towering cave dome carved into the steep limestone cliffs to the point of overwhelming. Below is a whole natural system with interwoven rocks and trees. I followed the cliff down to the bottom of the cave. Being lost in the vast cave gives a very interesting feeling and makes me feel so small in front of nature.

The story of Kho Muong and the things that are still troubling

rustic dishes

For dinner, we enjoyed the specialty of stream duck. I asked the host if this was Co Lung duck (a famous royal duck breed of Pu Luong), he said it was the same breed of duck but raised in Kho Muong stream. I have tried duck in both places and in my opinion, Kho Muong stream duck is more delicious and sweeter than Co Lung duck. The meat is fragrant and tender, perhaps because this breed of duck only forages around the clear stream that flows endlessly from the top of Pu Luong mountain. Duck can be grilled, mixed in salads and made into many dishes, but if you come to Kho Muong, you should try boiled duck thighs with salt mixed with mac khen and doi seeds.

After the meal, we sat and chatted with the host. He said that Pu Luong mountains and forests still had many wild animals, including sun bears. He said that there was also an airport there from the French colonial period. When they knew they were about to lose at Dien Bien Phu, the French army dismantled the aluminum floor coverings of the airport and took them away. They also forced the villagers to bring weapons dipped in oil and packed them in wooden crates and carried them up to a cave on the high mountain to hide. From the gathering place, the French army would transfer the weapons into a secret cave with the cave entrance covered to look like a cliff. The villagers later went up the mountain to find the weapons cache but could not find the cave entrance.

Following the cup of tea, the village chief's story also brought with it concerns about a road for the village that has not been approved for many years. He hopes to have a road connecting the main road to the village so that cars can enter. However, if a car road is built, the famous trekking road here through 6 villages from Doan town will no longer exist, and Pu Luong tourism will be affected. Therefore, a car road for Kho Muong is still a big question mark in the problem of tourism development and people's lives.

The next morning, we said goodbye to the host and returned early to go to the Doan market. This is a highland market that sells many mountain specialties. The night before, it rained heavily, but the morning was clear. On the way back, we were absorbed in watching the cotton-white clouds across the mountain range. There were so many “cloud hunting” spots that the car stopped every few minutes for people to get off and take pictures. With arms outstretched, I took a deep breath of fresh air, behind me were majestic mountain ranges and a deep valley, with white clouds floating in the sky, I suddenly understood why Pu Luong was so memorable.

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