After luxuriating in Luang Prabang, we decided to get back on the road and explore the town of Nong Kiew. We arrived at the bus station preparing to settle into some sort of minibus for the 4+ hour journey, and were a bit surprised to be shuttled into the back of a pickup truck. We had flashbacks of the slowboat as more and more and more passengers and their giant bags (of rice? of bricks? what is so heavy?!) were loaded on. We ended up sandwiched between 15 others as we bumped along the road. We could only laugh as it began to rain halfway through. We made friends by sharing cookies and besides the pain of cramping legs, it was a pretty fun trip.
We disembarked in Nong Kiew, which is GORGEOUS. Huge rock karsts stick into the sky out of nowhere...green everywhere you look, and a beautiful river running right through the thick of it. We found an awesome riverside bungalow (with hammock! score!!) and explored the riverside, watching the local kids swim and fish.
The next day, we rented mountainbikes and set off towards some local caves we'd heard about. Terrible mistake number 1: Starting your activities at the beginning of the heat of the day.
Terrible mistake number 2: Doing the most strenous possible activity at the hottest time possible.
By the time we made it out to the start of the cave trail (where we had to leave the bikes behind), we looked like we'd just been swimming, drenched in sweat. Unfortunately, our fitness level was only just being put to the test: It was quite a hike out to the caves! Through rice paddies, over fences, and into the jungle...and then straight UP the mountainside. When we finally found the cave, which was used as a hiding spot during the Secret War bombings, we were almost too tired to climb into the vast darkness. Almost. But it was so cool in there...bit creepy, no signs or anything...just...explore at your own risk! It was awesome. Worth the trip, I think. Marshall might tell you differently.
Once we dragged ourselves back into town and had a cold drink, we debated about biking more. Apparently there were more caves down the road in the other direction. We finally decided to buck up and go-- and I'm glad we did. These were enormous caves, only 100m away from the main road--and had also been used as a place to hide the entire village during the second Indochina war. The caves were impressive, and certain caverns were labeled (security section, art section, section where bullets were hidden in the sand...). Our legs could barely carry us back to town, but we definitley earned our BeerLao and hammock time for the evening.
Next up: more bus rides!
--T
No comments:
Post a Comment