The Loop

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So Vientiane was a bit dull as a city but we did venture 25km out to see the Buddha park which is a big field with a load of statues of Buddha - more fun than it sounds as we had a great time being slightly disrespectful and doing all the different Buddha poses next to the statues. We made sure no-one was looking though so that makes it alright doesn't it?

After those fun times we got a bus down to Thakhek and found not a lot there, our Dutch buddies were planning on doing 'The Loop' there which is the only thing travellers go there to do. The morning after we arrived we all tuk-tukked up to the travel lodge where Mr Ku gave us all a motorbike lesson, a map and rented us bikes. By 12pm we were off on a 450 km 4 day motorbike trip and none of us had ever ridden a motorbike let alone a Honda Wave semi- automatic with gears and foot brakes galore.

Having had our 20 minutes lesson off we went helmetted up on the first leg of the journey which was 105km up a straight road; there wasn't a lot of map reading involved in this trip - it's called 'The Loop' because thats what it is - one big circle. After a slight mishap where we missed the first turning I ended up out in front leading the way as a geographer I felt it was my duty to take charge of the map and the 4 right turns we had to make.

We made it to our first turning and decided we would stay the night there as our first day of riding was pretty knackering and soo much fun! I loved being a badass riding my motorbike - good job I couldn't see myself or my badass fantasy would switfly have vanished as I looked a right dweeb!

Our second day of looping was 80km to Konglor Cave; a 7.5km tunnel that you get a boat through, I enjoyed riding there more than the actual cave but that could be because even I can't delude myself into thinking sitting in a wooden boat with a flashlight on your head is badass.

Day 3 was the toughest, we drove to Laksao; our next turning and from there its all dirt roads for maybe 100km - shit got bumpy! I enjoyed the challenge especially when we went up a mountain and it got bumpy and bendy; my hands however weren't loving it, burnt knuckles and palm blisters but being the badass I am, I powered through.

Our last day of the trip was easy riding and most of the sightseeing was down the last road back into Thakhek, we saw a cave then had a swim then saw a cave then saw another cave; I'm all caved out! The last one we saw was the Buddha cave; 8km of dirt road to get there, hot sweaty walk to the bottom of the big staircase then pay some woman to dress us up in skirt things because its a religious place, pay again to actually go in, climb the million stairs made even harder by the skirt, shoes off at the top, crawl into this stinky, small cave to see a sign saying 'No fotos' WTF?! I was out and down the steps in 5 minutes, skirt off and sat in a huff trying to keep the sweat out of my eyes.

We headed back to Thakhek after that and stayed for a day enjoying the last of our time with the Dutch girls who are off to Vietnam; it will be weird being just us two again but I'm not sure I'll miss having my accent constantly mocked - everyone says 'Crikey!' all the time right?

We said our goodbyes at the bus station in Thakhek before we headed south to Savannakhet.

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Photos

Buddha park
Leg guitar

Comments

[Jennifarts]

tomatoes
Glad to see your old Harvey two face tan is back Beth. Sounds fab, I am totally and utterly wel jel xxx