Looping the Loop

Wow I have just come back from three days of extreme experiences. I and the three women I had met up north (Emily, Erica and Sandra) with a fourth bloke from Uruguay (Pablo) traveled by hire Motorbike around a route known to the backpacker world as "The Loop". It was fantastic. It tested all the senses, particularly those around your butt, the flabby bits that is. The emphasis being the more you have the less painful it will be. I have quite a lot but I still hurt at the end. It is the kind of stiffness that you don't mind though as a shower removes most of the worst and the sights you see on the way more than make up for any inconvenience.


The journey started with a short blast out of Thakhek to the first cave (elephant cave). This was accessed by a short dirt road to a tiny village and then a bit of rough work across a creek and through some sandy bits. The cave was OK but not overwhelming in a "far out" way. The Elephant was not overly impressive. The surrounds and the school kids more than made up for it. 


Back on the road we made another short Blast and then to the next cave (Tham Xieng Lieb cave) which was much more impressive. Here we had an eager Dad and two young boys who directed us along a well marked trail to a cave with a river flowing out of it. We were able to clamber into the cave mouth where Erica and Emily who were more eager took off their boots and donned thongs for a wade through the river to the other side of the cave with a beautiful beach and very nice scenes of forest and "jungle".


Back again on the road we made a long run to Nakai some 40 odd Kms along the road . The views on either side of Kharst mountains was arresting to say the least. Many a time I had to correct myself as I drifted across the road mesmerised by the sights in my perifery. We ate lunch (at about 2pm) at Nakai and then headed off for our night stop at Tha Long. The road at this point took a turn for the worse. It went from bitumen to dirt and quite bad dirt at that. Speed was cut to about 10 to 15kph. The best bit of the road being right on the side where usually people walk. Pot holes were a usual occurrence. The scenery changed dramatically to one of desolation on each side. The building of a dam had created a huge freshwater sea flooding a drowning the forest. On either side were views of dead trees standing in the water like shy swimmers waiting for the water to become warm enough to dive into. It was strangely beautiful in a weird sort of way.


Tha Long was a tiny village with 2 guesthouses. Ours was really sweet with stunning views of the lake. Emily and I went for a walk out onto the bridge for a Beer Lao and the sunset. Very nice but not as good as Luang Prabang. The guesthouse had a fire to sit around in the evening and this we did until dinner was ready. It was nice to sit and share stories with my companions.


The next morning we set off for the 60Km run to Lak Sao, At this point the road began to deteriorate at an alarming rate, to the point of almost ridiculousness. By the time we reached the jungle section it had become a series of enormous pot holes that you bounced into and out of like a demented roller coaster. Even the side of the road became the same as the middle as the pot holes straddled the entire road. One could quite easily disappear into one for some while before re-emerging like a breaching submarine. The fact that we could only go at snails pace was OK though because the view on either side was amazing. Thick dense jungle, impenetrable unless you followed an animal trail, not that you'd want to here because there are wild animals that can eat you.


After the jungle section the road got worse! I thought the bikes would not cope with the strain. The punishment being extreme. In addition to the Bumps was the dust. It was enveloping and my beard felt like it was made of hessian sacking. Lak Sao was a pleasing if unattractive respite. A rough frontier town populated with what seemed to be Vietnamese mafia, we stayed long enough to have a lovely lunch in a huge Resteraunt oddly named "the Only Resteraunt".


Back on the road it was a significant relief to be on tar again. We buzzed along at a dizzying rate of 80 Kph. Top speed for these little bikes. The scenery on either side was back to Kharst mountains of awesome proportions. We made very good time and roared into Na Hin or Khoun Kham just before sunset. This allowed us to blast along the road to Kong Lor with the last rays of sun. It was incredible to roar along a very straight road between impossible mountains with shapes out of some science fiction novel. I wouldn't say inspiring, but don't have any other words that come to mind. Our accommodation was again a very nice even intimate guest house. We were all so exhausted that we had a couple of glasses of Beer Lao and crawled off to our various beds. I had a very nice double bed that was as hard as I have had so far. I was so stiff I think it did me good.


Next day we were up very early and off to the Kong Lor cave at sparrows fart. The cave is amazing. It is 7.5 Km long and has a river flowing right through it that is navigable by flat bottomed boat. Locals from the village on the other side of the mountain use it for transport. Of course so do the tourists. After negotiating the tickets and our obligatory life jackets we boarded long thin boats inside the mouth of the cave and set off into the darkness. The darkness it should be said is complete. There is no source of light except from the torches of the boatman and his assistant up front. I had a head light but it was paltry by comparison. We stopped for a walk around a section of the cave that was interesting but not spectacular. There were some stalactites and stalagmites but they were no match to Jenolan caves so I kept quiet. Back on the boat the next 5 km was fantastic. The shadows cast by the boatman's lights were surreal. At one point our shadows were thrown upon a wall, it looked like ghosts following us. I would get glimpses of rock formations that were mind boggling. Huge galleries, vaulted roofs. I felt I was in a chapter of Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit. It was almost as if Gollem was watching from a ledge high above and the ghosts of Moria everywhere!


After about 45 minutes we came out of the cave and into the sunlight. The boat pulled into a landing and we got out while the boatman emptied out the boat. It was quite full of water! We had gone over a couple of places where we had to get out and drag the boat over pebbled banks and little (tiny) waterfalls. This must take a toll on the bottom of the boats. It clearly did to ours as it was trying bravely to sink under us. We sat around at the landing for about 15 minutes until the boatman realised we were not going to buy anything at the myriad of stalls there in the forest and then it was back into the boat and back into the cave for the run back. Just as awe inspiring as before we motored through the darkness getting wetter from the constant bailing by the boatman. Scrabbling out to get over the various obstacles, finally we were back to the start. I loved it.


In front of the cave the river formed a very large pool that was crystal clear and very inviting. I got into my swimmers and went in. Ah the serenity! It was the best thing since sliced bread. I was in heaven. The only thing that was missing was Meri my partner. Of the rest of the gang the only other swimmer was Emily who also enjoyed the peace of it all. We dried off and I had a noodle soup for lunch. 


The afternoon was taken up with a headlong dash back to Thakhek for sunset which we missed by all of 5 minutes. All in all it was a journey not to be missed. If one is traveling in this area you would be mad and a danger to yourself to miss this experience. I thoroughly recommend every inch. One memory fast in my mind is of a lookout after Kong Lor on the way to highway 13 along route 8. It was of these amazing kharsts. It looked like someone had broken the earth like a bottle. Extremely jagged peaks lay in front of us as far as the eye could see. It was fantastic.


I am now in Thakhek waiting for the bus to Paxse tomorrow at 8:30. My washing is being done and I've nothing else to do except go and see a few sights before I leave. I have just said good bye to the most wonderful of friends I have met in a long while. I have shared my life with them for the last couple of weeks and I am a bit/very sad to have seen them go. I hope I will see them again before I leave. I know I will see them again sometime in my life (maybe in Australia). I still miss them though and I will be sad for a little more when I remember our times shared. Love you angels all.


Back to the road Lionel. One more adventure, another day. It is Sunday the 29th of January today. I have 14 days left to get to Paxse, the Boleven plateau, Champasak, 4 thousand Islands (Si Phan Don) and Siem Reap before I board that silver bird to Australia and home.