15 OCTOBER 2006

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Team 1 recce SW of Lichuan

Bruce, Ged, Mr. Hou and Zhanghai travelled 30km SW of Lichuan (county town) to recce a couple of caves.
Stopping at the local government HQ in Zhong Lu we studied a wall map of the area and are given something to eat and drink.


Ged points out Zhong Lu in the neighbouring county to Lichuan


Main street in Zhong Lu

After our spicy lunch there, we then travelled another 15km to see a supposed Tiankeng. The first hole was a heavily vegetated doline with steep sides. Thrown stones suggest it is not a large open shaft but a rocky gully that could possibly lead into an underground or entrance shaft. From its rim, we look out to a distant feature in the opposite direction that might possibly be a gigantic Tiankeng but we are not sure. Further along the same road, we took a right fork where ladden coal lorries were seen to be removing cargos of coal dust from a nearby site. We stop at a small hamlet and walked a short distance into fields where we were led to a couple of sinks that branch off a stream. The first took all the water and couldn't be entered. The second had a manmade channel leading into it. At the fork off the streambed (dry at this point), were two unused sluice gate grooves that could be used to prevent water from draining here. Bruce and Ged climbed down into the small chamber below and followed the muddy and littered onward streamway which got narrow and low quite quickly. Their new orange overalls got muddy for the first time. The cave soon closed down in a mud choke after about 40m.

We returned to the large village that houses the government compound and the 4x4's turned up a narrow and dangerous track next to a river bridge. We followed the river a short way to a small dam where workers use a gravity powered hose to suck out silt from behind it.


De-silting the dam

The pumped water settles in a catchment pit a few hundred yards below where a gang of men shovel the settled sediment into a truck. On the dammed section of river, we caught a narrow boat, welded from thin steel sheet and powered by a large pivoting diesel engine at the rear. We travelled along the tranquil dammed river for 1km, passing a Great Crested Kingfisher, White-Crowned Forktail and other exotic birds along the banks. We alighted on a bank, and follow a path through orange groves and other crops such as chillies and aubergines. At a farmhouse that we passed, was a luke-warm spring discharging sulphurous water.


Hot springs are common in this county

A woman was later seen washing cothes here. Not far beyond we caught sight of a fairly large resurgence. Ged and Bruce explored a small slot in the vegetated slope on its left hand approach flank. This develops into a rift with a maze of minor cross passages and no obvious continuation. The local man says it continues for 7 days and 7 nights (Not the first time we hear such a story!)


Ged looks over to the inaccessible resurgence cave

We returned back to the hotel passing an overturned coal lorry en route. The driver escaped from the squashed cab with a cut to his leg and looked rather shaken. We had 10 minutes before dinner was served on the 10th floor restaurant.

SHUI LIAN DONG (Water Lotus Cave)

Tony P, Harvey, Eddie, Niu Changying and Denge Yadong were accompanied by He Duanrong Chen, Yan Guan Hu, Xiang Dong and Lin Xiong Jing who all travelled 11km west of Lichuan to look at a showcave near Liang Wu village.
The cave, called Shi Lian Dong is reached by boat 2.5km down river. A short walk took them to a second metal boat that was propelled like a Cambridge punt with a long pole. The river ran the full length of the cave. There were occasional mud banks upon one of which we alighted. Harvey and Eddie moved along the bank until Harvey found what he believed to be quicksand and then returned to the boat.


Eddie boards the boat to Lotus Cave


The boat passes through Lotus Cave

A round-trip in the boat was made to far reaches of system, an approximate time of 1hr 30min.
Tony's impression of the show cave was that it was a little dull and grey but that the whole river trip was impressive.

They took a GPS reading at the beginning and end of the fossil cave and at the entrance of the river cave.

On the return journey by boat to Liang Wu village the helmsman pointed out a cave high up on the cliff face of the left bank. The vegetation was too dense to climb up through but they took a GPS reading from the shore line and referenced the cave to that.
They arrived back at the village at 2.15pm then drove to the outskirts of Lichuan where they had lunch. Afterwards they drove to a second showcave called Chaoyang Dong which has been open to the public for three years and had some pretty formations. Some of these were reached using a bamboo swing bridge.

Again, they took a GPS reading at the gate before the drip line over the cave entrance.

The showcave owners told them that the enterprise was a co-operation between three families.
They arrived back at our hotel at 7pm.