Vieng Kham is more of a truck stop than a city. It's a place that appears to have grown to support the two roads that intersect there. There are lots of road-side style restaurants that can support busloads of people at one time. I only have one photo from Vieng Kham and it's a bathroom photo. The photo above is of Ban Gnang where I started my day.
The day's trip was a short one. I kept it short because I started the day with some sight seeing and I didn't get on the road until later in the day.
The morning started next to this pristine river. The river goes over 7 kilometers through a cave. I had met some other tourists on the previous night and we agreed to share a boat for the cave tour this morning.
I was fascinated by these tractors. I only remember seeing them in Laos, and I saw them all over the place here. They basically consist of an engine with two wheels and long handlebars. They are frequently hooked up to wagons and driven around. In the fields and rice paddies the wagon is removed and I believe a plow is hooked to them.
The village of Ban Gnang was an enjoyable stop on my trip. There wasn't a whole lot to it, but it had a particular charm that I enjoyed. The quiet, clear river that the village sits on is worth seeing.
I met up with the couple that I would be sharing a boat with and we went to the cave entrance.
I'm not going to bother posting anything of the terrible photos from inside the cave. It was pretty impressive though. The boat driver guided us through a very long cave in a very unstable boat. At every moment, it felt like the skinny boat was going to tip and fill with water. At one point the river became very shallow and we had to get out and drag the boat to a deeper part of the river. After a long ride through the cave, we emerged into an are that instantly made me think of Jurassic Park.
I'm sure there's a way into this area other than the cave, but it felt like the land that time forgot. Like a hidden jungle that is only accessible by a long cave river.
There were some water buffaloes in this area. I can't help but take photos of these animals.
After a while we turned around and returned to the cave entrance.
Here's a cave photo that isn't completely terrible. This is the cave entrance.
This is also the cave entrance. Here you can see the kind of engines that the boats use. They're common all over South East Asia.
After the cave tour, I said goodbye to the couple that I had shared a boat with and got back on the road. If I remember correctly, I got started around lunch time.
On the previous day I stopped every few minutes for photos. On this day's ride, I only stopped in one place for photos. There was a little picnic area and I pulled off and walked up a hill to look at the view.
The view was incredible. It's another place where I really wondered if carrying the extra weight would be worth it to have a decent camera. The view was of layer after layer of jagged sharp mountains. It was an awesome sight.
I had almost missed this little stop. If I remember correctly, I rode past it at first and had to turn around and come back for it. I had just barely noticed it as I drove by.
This area was one of my favorite sights on the Thakhek loop. And this little elevated picnic area was the only place that I saw with a good view of it. At the level of the road, there were trees that blocked the view.
Shortly after the stop to see the crazy rock/mountain formation above, I arrived at a town. The next stretch of road to Thakhek was too long to get to before nightfall, so I looked around and found a guesthouse to stay at.
This is my only photo of Vieng Kham. I'm not sure why I took it. The toilet isn't remarkable for the area. I think I might have taken it for a toilet post on Facebook. It might have been my first photo of the butt sprayers that are common in the area. The squat toilets weren't new to me, but I still found the prospect of using them quite precarious.
The next day I would finish the loop and return to Thakhek. A few posts ago, I thought the loop had taken me 5 or 6 nights, but it looks like it only took 4 nights.
On the last leg of the loop I stopped at a cool lake that I'll post about tomorrow. I hope you'll join me then!
