We have just returned from a trip around the mountain. A tour that lasted three full days. Here's why: last Friday, we departed from Savannakhet to Thakket. We were waiting it was and were happy we could get our visas for Thailand and then quickly towards new adventures. Or not? Early in the morning I stood before the visa office of the Thai consulate, only to hear that afternoon I had to come back. We have that setback but resigned and accepted his afternoon came back with simple numbers 96 and 97 in hand to join the queue with other visa applicants. It was fortunately a half hour before we turn came and we were around half 3 than with the tuc-tuc towards the bus station.
With luck we found a fairly luxurious minivan that our chicken for 25,000 p / p (about € 2.50) to Thakket, about 125km north of Savannakhet, wild ride. The ride lasted almost three hours and was different: there were more concepts to Lao people in a minivan than to Dutch standards. Anyway, we arrived unscathed in Thakket our backpacks and have the ride on the roof well and survived.
Inspired by the Lonely Planet we have in Thakket to embark in a rather luxurious 'Travellers Lodge'. Not very cheap, but practical because the lodge is an ideal starting point for (among some) famous 'Loop': a round of three days to the karst mountains of northeastern Thakket. Opmerkerlijk enough we met on the veranda of the lodge, two Dutch couples. Both were preparing for the tour, one clockwise and the other bunch like us against the clock. We have an evening motorcycle aside and the following morning at dawn departed.
The first stage led past a number of caves and karst in the fen. Location: a hut on stilts in Tha Lang. The ride was beautiful and we arrived after a bumpy last 20 km still quite early on. The rest of the afternoon we have some fun in the environment: even on a log in the lake, a ommeletje with some rice eating, reading a book and in the shower washing away the dust. Later in the afternoon also arrived Sanne and Joost. We have eaten together in the evening with the knife on the table played Skip-Bo.
At 8 o'clock the next morning we barely equipped local festivities because apparently overnight Karaoke requirements and with only a bag of mini-breakfast biscuits with jam, back on the bike raised to go towards Kuon Kham. That village itself is not so special, but a good base to the wonderful cave of Kong Lor, 40 km to the south. The ride to Kham Kuon was on our primitive card is already marked as 'bad' word and it was no lie. The first section of 60 kilometers took us 3 hours, we sit still and close the dampers. The rest of the route was happy slippery asphalt and we could take a little faster. Along the still beautiful views of mountains and karst Lao villages.
An afternoon swim in the river in the local valley and late nights with steak fries, Skip-Bo, Sanne and Joost could continue on our way to the cave. An hour on asphalt beautiful and rickety bridges (a bit like bike-'m-in-d'r) led us to Kong Lor, a town that lives mainly of tourism around the 7km long cave river. We are accompanied by two guides within an elongated boot (trunk and pointed kind with outboard motor) and stepped into the cave hazards. Inside it was pitch dark, only in the light of our headlights, we saw what. A huge cave. Every now and then we had to get out because the water was too shallow, but after an hour we reached the other side of the cave. A small oasis. A drink and a snack and we went back again, this time downstream and therefore faster. Very special and so worth it.
By now we're back in Thakket in the room next to where last time we slept. Internet is only sparsely available and we hope this story, along with a few nice pictures, you can get it online. Soon a simple (and expensive) meal. Laos is not as cheap as we expected, we notice. Although poorer Laos, Vietnam appears to be generally cheaper priced. Anyway, little things you learn while you around the mountain crosst.
