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Trish representing at Tham Kong Lo
Patricia rocks her Amy's Ice Cream shirt in Tham Kong Lo (7km limestone cave) Vientiane, the capital of Laos, did not disappoint. My Indian dinner with Michael (former Peace Corps Volunteer) was great. And I met some awesome folks at my guesthouse: Lili, Patricia and Kieran. Somehow it came out that Kieran's birthday was coming up, and having spent some birthdays far from home, my heart went out to him. So we rented bicycles to go to the temple and have an herbal sauna and massages. We also sat in on a meditation session, before biking back to town and eating ice cream on the beach.
I had heard there was a great 7km cave down south, but was unsure how to get there. Fortunately, Patricia, Lili and Kieran were all going that way.
The next day we made it to Ban Kong Lo (the village closest to the cave) and "checked in" to our homestay. We had an amazing time. Our host family were very friendly and welcoming. The food was great and the whole experience was very laid back. The kind old ladies with their betel nut stained teeth and batik sarongs made me miss East Timor.
Tham Kong Lo is a 7km limestone cave with a river running
Mouth of Tham Kong Lo
From the inside of Tham Kong Lo through it and it was incredible. No lights, just our flashlights. It was Trish, Kieran, two guides and me in a long-tail boat. A couple times, I couldn't quite make out the cavern ceilings and it felt like we were outside at night. The water was so still that the cave was reflected perfectly in it, giving the illusion that our boat was gliding through mid air. I've never seen anything like it.
When we came out the other side, I asked one of the guides if there were any nagas (giant eels) in the river. Here, no. Inside the cave, yes. Great. So I was on naga patrol on the way back through the cave.
The next day Kieran, Trish and I said goodbye to Lili and had a marathon day of travel to Pakse. We took a truck, then a bus, then another bus. The last bus had crazy disco lights and we played endless games of Six Degrees to Kevin Bacon to pass the time. Once we finally made it to Pakse, we checked in and begged the local Indian joint to stay open for us. After a fantastic dinner of chicken tikka
Homestay Family
The kids of the family we stayed with in Ban Kong Lo with the book "The Cat Who Meditated" masala and conversation on what constitutes a curry, we were once again happy campers.
The next day we headed to Champasak and rented motorbikes. Trish and I were newbies on the bikes, but managed quite well after the owner threatened not to rent them to us. Kieran was a sport; his patience and gentle instruction made us both pros in no time. We took off for Wat Phu Champasak, a pre-Angkorian Khmer temple that was originally Hindu but now serves as a Buddhist temple. It was a great place to just sit and relax. While there, we ran into some Dutch girls who invited us out that night to celebrate Queen's Day. It was a good night and somehow we still got up the next morning to visit Wat Phu Champasak again for sunrise.
That day Trish headed off on a motorbiking adventure and Kieran and I headed south to Don Det, one of the "4000 Islands" in the Mekong, before it flows into Cambodia. It was the perfect place to relax and watch the sunset and thunderstorms from a hammock.
After a few days of that I headed to Kratie, Cambodia to check
Disco Bus to Pakse
Mood lighting was included in the price of this bus ticket, as were Laos music videos. out the rare Irrawaddy dolphins. Quite a few surfaced while I was there, but I was neither close enough nor quick enough to get a good photo.
Now I'm in Phnom Penh, enjoying the chaotic energy of the city, the pulse of the Central Market and the leap of faith required to cross the street. But I've also been visiting reminders of Cambodia's horrible history, including the Tuol Sleng Museum, where the Khmer Rouge held and tortured over 17,000 men, women and children in the late 1970s and the Killings Fields were many of those tortured were taken to be executed. It is deeply disturbing that human beings are capable of such atrocities and soul-crushing when you think of the long-term social impact.
Tomorrow I head to Siem Reap and the famous temples of Angkor Wat. Yes, I'll be pretending I'm Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider. Who wouldn't?
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Mom
non-member comment
Hearing from you is a wonderful Mother's Day gift! So relieved that you are okay and glad that you are having such a great time. The blog was a terrific idea ~~ wonder who thought of that?! Your photos are getting better and better! Stay safe! Lots of love, Mom