Looping Louie around Thakhek

After a long journey in the local bus with Asian music videos and bizarre sitcoms on constant loop, we arrived in Thakhek. Or rather, once again, just outside to support the local tuk-tuk companies (cartels/mafias). So, seven of us squeezed into a tuk-tuk to make even more profit. Once we arrived in the center, we first checked out the offers for scooter rentals, as we wanted to do a so-called loop for the next few days. This circular route is scheduled for 3-4 days and includes beautiful landscapes, waterfalls, and a 7 km boat ride through a cave. Along with Georgi, we reserved two 125cc scooters with semi-automatic transmission for the next day. After that, we went in search of a luxury 5-star resort. Unfortunately, all we found was a shabby hovel with horse blankets and a broken toilet flush tank... So, waking up early the next morning wasn't too difficult for us.

After checking the scooters for functionality, taking a test ride, and taking photos (which would later prove useful), we started the tour.

The journey came to a halt after just 500 meters when we encountered the local traffic police. They whistled us out of traffic and demanded to see our international driving licenses. It wasn't a problem for Carsten, as he luckily has a motorcycle license and everything was properly recorded. Georgi had less luck: her driver's license was confiscated until she paid the "fees" (corruption) of around 5€. Supposedly, she bought the right to drive the scooter for 2 days with that payment. Of course, there was no receipt for it. Taking photos was also not allowed, and we didn't even get the names of the policemen.

In the first stage, we had about 100 km ahead of us on passable roads with some deep potholes. Just behind Thakhek, the steep limestone cliffs, which rise high in front of you, begin. This typical Laotian landscape is really impressive and beautiful!

In Laotian traffic, you will find not only people, scooters, pick-up trucks, and elephant transports(!), but also various livestock, such as cows, pigs, goats, and chickens. Georgi unfortunately had a closer encounter with one of the pigs. The exact details of the accident cannot be determined with certainty, but Tina suddenly saw Georgi lying on the ground behind us and the pig running away. Fortunately, Georgi was fine except for a few scrapes on her elbows and knees, and the pig quickly disappeared. So, after cleaning the wounds as best we could, we were soon able to continue our journey.

The next highlight of the tour was a waterfall with a deep pool where you could jump from a rock from a height of about 7 meters (which Carsten did). Georgi and Tina at least dared to jump from 3 meters into the cool water. After a long break and regeneration, we were ready to continue.

We rode to Ban Tha Lang, located on a large reservoir, on this day and spent the night in a nice wooden hut. We experienced the Laotian coziness (or overwhelmedness with too many tourists) when we ordered our very simple meal, which didn't reach us until 3 hours later. By that time, the hungry Carsten had already consumed 3 packs of cookies and didn't feel like playing cards anymore. Finally satiated, we sat by the campfire for a while and listened to the loudest frog and cricket concert we had ever heard!

The next day, we got back on the scooters and continued the winding ride through the jungle and along the reservoir. It offered a strangely beautiful and eerie scenery since the flooding of a dam a few years ago left behind an ecological battlefield. Thousands of dead tree trunks protrude from the water, and many people lost their homes. However, new villages were built in the surrounding area.

After another 100 km, we reached the "Cool Springs" with its beautiful turquoise water. We cooled off there for a while but were critically observed by the many locals who jumped into the water fully clothed in jeans and t-shirts. So, we didn't stay there for long. We continued on dusty roads because we wanted to make it to the Tham Kong Lor Cave that day.

On the way, we briefly stopped in Tha Bak, which is known for its boats made from bombs. Another 55 km, mountains, beautiful viewpoints over the valley, impenetrable jungle, and impossible roads still separated us from Konglor, where we wanted to spend the night. The twilight gradually set in, and our bottoms signaled that we shouldn't continue driving for much longer if we didn't want to get pressure sores... but finally, the village came into view, and we immediately found a fairly nice guesthouse.

While having dinner, we met three more funny Germans who told us incredible stories from Cambodia and warned us not to consume "happy products". When we wanted to return to our room, we found a spider the size of a hand in the middle of our room. We were frightened and ran out to alarm our new outdoor-experienced acquaintances... but they didn't know what to do either, until finally an employee of the facility noticed the group of people outside our room and tried to kill the spider with a broom. It scurried in high speed, probably in mortal fear, across the room until it was finally struck. Now everyone could sleep peacefully.

Day 3 of our tour started with leaving the scooters behind and walking to the aforementioned cave. The Tham Kong Lor Cave is 7.5 km long and connects two villages on opposite sides of the limestone mountain through an underground river. On this river, you can take a motorized boat ride in a nutshell for a maximum of 5 people. So, the three of us, plus a boatman, equipped with life vests, sat in a narrow boat with the water surface just inches below us. >At this point, it should be mentioned that one should perhaps read the Lonely Planet more attentively and bring water shoes as recommended in order to endure the really sharp stones...< And off we went into the darkness and deeper into the cave, to the point of losing all sense of direction. Thanks to the flashlights (once again helpful), we were able to bring some light into the darkness and admired the truly huge cave, some parts of which were as high as a church nave. We stopped, waded a bit through the water, and then onto a partially illuminated island in the cave, where we could admire fantastic stalactites and stalagmites. On the other side, the boatman picked us up again, and the journey continued. At shallow spots, we had to get out repeatedly, otherwise the boat would have gotten stuck. The cave is truly impressive, but you also feel a bit relieved when you see light at the end of the tunnel. Nevertheless, it didn't feel as if we had been in the dark for over an hour. A few meters further, we stopped for 10 minutes, where Laotian women sold their hand-woven products at a ridiculously low price. Then we continued. The return journey downstream was a bit faster without the stop at the aforementioned island.

When we reached the other end, we started the return journey. We quickly poured some fuel into the tank and off we went, back to Thakhek, over rough terrain for the entirety of the 180 km. In Laotian roads, it seems to be common practice to announce danger zones, construction sites, and abandoned vehicles with branches and leaves a few meters before and after the spot. Fortunately, the second half of the route was on a relatively well-developed "highway" by Laotian standards, where we could drive at about 60 km/h without running the risk of hitting a pothole or an animal. Nevertheless, the law of the stronger applies, which are white pick-up trucks or SUVs here, which overtake without consideration for losses at all times and everywhere. Unfortunately, we drove in the dark for a while towards the end, but we still arrived safely. However, everything hurt afterwards... In Thakhek, we skillfully bypassed the police station, searched with the scooters for a better accommodation option than last time, and then washed off all the dust and dirt from our faces and bodies.

All in all, it was a really beautiful and adventurous tour, which could have been a bit more relaxed with an additional day.

The next morning, we returned the scooters, but the rental company didn't want to give us back our passports because one of the scooters was damaged on the side. Luckily, we had taken photos of all the defects at the beginning of the tour and luckily, Georgi hit the scooter on the side that was already damaged beforehand, so we didn't mention it...>>Always document the original condition of rental objects with photos, as you can always be ripped off otherwise!<<

We then took the local bus to Pakse, our next stop, which took an incredibly long 8.5 hours. During the journey, we made numerous toilet breaks in the middle of nowhere and just as many stops at local market stalls, where locals flooded the bus with grilled chickens on skewers, eggs on skewers, mangoes, and other meat and rice.