After mucking around all morning trying to get people organised and motivated to hire motorbikes and explore the surrounding countryside, we ended up setting off on a bike along with Joe. A stunning 20km journey out of town took us past a cool little kids' fair and through numerous little villagers where we watched the distinction in wealth through the transition of rock houses back to wood and thatch (the further from Vang Vieng, the less tourist money going to the locals).
We eventually found our first destination across the river from the Elephant Cave, where in typical "rip-off-the-tourist" fashion the locals tried to charge us to watch our locked bike, or let us cross their bridge. We hid the bikes in the bush instead, and walked across a rickety old bridge 100m downstream instead where kids were happily splashing in the waters.
The Elephant cave houses a large Buddha and his footprint, with the main attraction being the rock formation that resemble an elephant (though it had obviously been added on to with concrete).
From here we walked through a small village and correctly guessed our way between multiple paths to get to the next caves.
The first one we explored was extremely impressive with a huge array of stalactites/mites covering the walls, ceiling and floor. The variety was phenomenal - some pure white and sparkling, others muddy looking. 
We made our way through the gigantic caverns, enjoying the cool air but eventually resurfaced into the sunlight.
After Joe left us to get back to town, we entered Tham Hoi - a huge cave that stretches for 2-3km deep. With our torches and the several bright orange arrows pointing the way we managed to walk, crawl, and slip our way to the end where we were treated to an underground, crystal clear river cascading down the rocks. Despite being underground and in the dark, Adam was keen to jump right in for a splash and explore, while Liv wait patiently.
Eventually we attempted to make our way back, and had a 5 minute panic after taking a few wrong turns - not the best feeling to be walking round in circles in the wrong caverns!
Luckily we found the right way, and 2 hours after we entered we let our skin be warmed by the sun as we made our way by foot towards a water cave.
Here we hired tubes and grabbed hold of the ropes to drag ourselves into the depths of the cave. Even though by this stage it was getting cooler outside, the late hour meant that everyone else had gone home and we had the whole beautiful cave to ourselves!
With the sun fading, we headed back through the fields to our motorbike and set off for the ride home with the sun setting in the distance. After 3 days here the karst peaks still blow us away and the colours of the sunset create a whole new world out there.
Adlibing it in the dark.
We eventually found our first destination across the river from the Elephant Cave, where in typical "rip-off-the-tourist" fashion the locals tried to charge us to watch our locked bike, or let us cross their bridge. We hid the bikes in the bush instead, and walked across a rickety old bridge 100m downstream instead where kids were happily splashing in the waters.
The Elephant cave houses a large Buddha and his footprint, with the main attraction being the rock formation that resemble an elephant (though it had obviously been added on to with concrete).
From here we walked through a small village and correctly guessed our way between multiple paths to get to the next caves.
The first one we explored was extremely impressive with a huge array of stalactites/mites covering the walls, ceiling and floor. The variety was phenomenal - some pure white and sparkling, others muddy looking. We made our way through the gigantic caverns, enjoying the cool air but eventually resurfaced into the sunlight.After Joe left us to get back to town, we entered Tham Hoi - a huge cave that stretches for 2-3km deep. With our torches and the several bright orange arrows pointing the way we managed to walk, crawl, and slip our way to the end where we were treated to an underground, crystal clear river cascading down the rocks. Despite being underground and in the dark, Adam was keen to jump right in for a splash and explore, while Liv wait patiently.
Eventually we attempted to make our way back, and had a 5 minute panic after taking a few wrong turns - not the best feeling to be walking round in circles in the wrong caverns!Luckily we found the right way, and 2 hours after we entered we let our skin be warmed by the sun as we made our way by foot towards a water cave.
Here we hired tubes and grabbed hold of the ropes to drag ourselves into the depths of the cave. Even though by this stage it was getting cooler outside, the late hour meant that everyone else had gone home and we had the whole beautiful cave to ourselves!With the sun fading, we headed back through the fields to our motorbike and set off for the ride home with the sun setting in the distance. After 3 days here the karst peaks still blow us away and the colours of the sunset create a whole new world out there.Adlibing it in the dark.
No comments:
Post a Comment