Kyaking Trip

Today we have booked a kayaking trip down the river. Good move since I was suffering from the night before and Linda was not happy with me for coming home that smashed. I don't blame her!
We left the hotel at 9.30am and made our way by tuck tuck to Tham Xang cave, also known as Elephant Cave. Here the cave has stalagmites and stalactites that have formed to look like a elephant. Also, there are a number of Buddha statues and the footprint of Buddha. There was also one very interesting story we were told by our guide. There was a statue of a eagle with a frog, pronounced flog by our guide, in the eagles claws. The story goes like this... Many years ago, in the river there lived a eagle. The eagle flew up and down the river every day. One day he went to the frog and said that he has seen that the river was drying up and he had found a bigger river for them to live in. The frog was not to smart and asked how they could get there? The eagle said he could carry the frogs one by one to the new river. The frog said, he couldn't trust the eagle since the eagle ate frogs. The eagle said that he would take the frog to the new river and show him the new river and fly him back to tell his friends that the river is real. So the frog agreed. Off they went to the river and the frog saw with his own eyes the new river. The eagle flew back with the frog to tell his friends. One by one the eagle took the frogs and ate them on the way to the new river. (Long story short, same story with the fish). Then the eagle went to the crab and told him he could take the crab and all his mates to the new river. The crab was a lot smarter than the frog and fish and asked how the eagle would take him and his mates to the new river, because if the eagle used his claws, it would hurt the crab? The eagle thought for a while then the crab had an idea, the crab said that if he could hold on to the eagles neck, then he wouldn't get hurt. The eagle said fine and off they went. Half way up, the crab said to the eagle that he knew that the eagle had eaten all the frogs and fish and lied to them. Now the crab was going to strangle the eagle to stop him from deceiving anyone ever again and killed the eagle.
Moral of the story, if you lie, you might get away with it but one day someone will catch you out!

Ok back to the trip......
The next stop was Tham Nam Cave. This was one amazing cave. We started by playing with some baby ducks in the stream while waiting for the first group to come out. Then you jump on a inflated tire tube and jump in the stream. There are ropes leading into the cave and so you go pulling your way on the tube into the cave. Not sure how long we were in the cave but you float into it pretty deep. It is a tunnel formed by the natural spring and you go deeper and deeper into the mountain. Then back out for lunch.
After lunch we got onto our kayaks and made our way down the Nam Song river. A few small rapids and we arrived at a bar packed to the brim with drunken fools who had been floating on tubes and drinking at every bar along the way. This pub was like a Disneyland for young adults. Slides, swings, mud and booze! The first thing I tried was the slide. Pretty cool slide that ends up in the river about 5m above the water, so you got to watch how you land! Next up was the swing. You climb up a home made ladder to a standing point about 20m above the water. There is a rope with a cross bar and all you do is jump and hold on and pray you don't let go. You swing pretty high and finally when brave enough, let go and land in the river. Pretty sweet swing!
Then it was back on our kayaks and head for home.
A quiet dinner and pack so we can leave the next day for Vientien.

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