26. Stop Thakhek Loop - Day 1

On Wednesday, 12.02.2020 the alarm clock rang at 6:30 am. We had arranged with our hostel that we could leave our big backpack there and therefore only took a daypack with us. After breakfast, we made the handover and started after a small detour past the gas station.

We had looked at the map beforehand and roughly knew the direction. This was not difficult as there is only one paved road in that direction and you just have to follow it. After about 10 km we turned into a path and initially followed the signs, we wanted to see a cave called "Tham Pha Inh". The signs led us astray, so we used our mobile phones. However, Google Maps was not reliable either when it wanted to send us through a small river. We had already read on the internet that the cave was difficult to find and the path would lead us through bushes and across fields.

We didn't give up yet and followed hopefully a few motorcycle tracks through the bushes. After a few meters, a local came towards us who obviously worked in the countryside and, of course, didn't speak a word of English. Since we probably weren't the only tourists who got lost on his land, he knew exactly where we wanted to go and showed us the way. I wasn't worried at all when we suddenly arrived in front of a barbed wire fence and bent it apart/held it up to be able to walk or push the scooters underneath. Not so easy with full sunshine, 35 degrees and sand as the ground. Somehow we managed it and thanked him warmly (thank you means translated Kop Chai Lalai, I have already learned that much and when he heard it, a big grin appeared on his face... but unfortunately no teeth, as there weren't many left).

With another look at Google Maps, the cave was only 10 meters away and we tried to choose the path where the undergrowth was already the furthest apart and we didn't cut our legs and arms even more. After just a few minutes, we stood in front of another barbed wire fence, which we mastered with flying colors this time. Unfortunately, shortly afterwards we stood in front of a jungle and it was absolutely impossible to get through. As we were already 1 ½ hours away from the paved road, we decided to give up and turn around, so we had to ride all the way back. I was so glad to see asphalt again afterwards ;)

The second destination was a cave called "Tham Aen". Only a few kilometers later on the paved road, we had to turn right. Luckily, there was a ticket booth right there, so we were in the right place. When we arrived, our 15-year-old guide Nong led us into the cave. We had to go up a few steps, then down a few steps, and then a boat was waiting for us. Nong paddled us through the cave for about 20 minutes to the other side. We got off and then explored the cave. In comparison to the others, this one is extremely big and so are the distances we covered. The air in the cave is not particularly rich in oxygen and we were constantly climbing up or down stairs. The stairs were not the best, especially steep, the tread surface very small, no handrail, and a large distance to the next step. We both decided to end the tour when our circulation got a bit weak. So we walked slowly back to the boat and Nong paddled us back. As it was already 2 p.m., we took a lunch break and then quickly hopped on the bikes again.

Without any further stops, we drove to our first accommodation in Thalang and checked into a nice bungalow right by the water. After a cold shower, we watched the sunset and then had a few well-deserved beers and dinner. After a few card games, we still went to bed early, as the next day would surely be just as exhausting. On this day, we covered a total of 140 km.

On the map, you can see that we started on the left and drove to the right, so to speak. The upper blue circled one is the cave we couldn't find, the lower one is the one we found. After that, we drove 'up' and slept in the yellow circled area.