8/31/10 – 9/1/10 (vientiane)

Vientiane – Ban Na Hin - Ban Kong Lo - Ban Na Hin

Our adventure to Ban Na Hin actually started at 11pm the previous night. Earlier in the day we contacted a hotel in Ban Na Hin to ask about weather conditions and room availability. Mon, the owner, mentioned that she was also in Vientiane and would be heading back to her guesthouse later that night and offered us a ride that was slightly cheaper than taking the bus. We were tempted since there was only going to be four of us in the minivan and we would arrive directly at the guesthouse. Leaving in the middle of the night did seem strange and we didn’t know her at all but we agreed to take her up on her offer. Her son-in-law was supposed to come pick us up at 1am but he ended up arriving at 11pm. Soon after we were on the road I laid down on the seats to sleep. Jon tried to get some sleep but the bumpy roads and Loas music were too much for him. He ended up staying up for the entire trip and I guess we had an adventurous ride. There were several sudden stops as cows meandered on the road and because of poor streetlights the driver didn’t see the cows until the car was fairly close. Jon said he saw a calf that must have just been born bewildered by the car lights and honking horn. What a way for the baby cow to be introduced into the world.

We arrived at the guesthouse around 4:30am and were shown to our room. It was pitch black and we had no idea where we were. We had to trust Mon we were in the right town and guesthouse. The only reassurance I had was that the lady’s name matched what was written in the guidebook. We were exhausted and immediately feel asleep.

After a few hours of sleep we woke up to a beautiful sunny day. Mon mentioned that there was a couple going to the Kong Lo Cave in half an hour and suggested we join them. She was taking them in the minivan that she just bought. We were still tired from our trip and decided to go the next day. We came all this way to visit the cave and didn’t want to rush the experience. Then we started to get a weird feeling about Mon and throughout our time at the guesthouse. We just felt as if she was always up to something. Or maybe she was just trying to be a savvy businesswoman.

We spent our first day exploring the area and relaxing at the guesthouse. The center of town was 800 meters from where we were staying. It was a small town with only a few guesthouses and a taxi stand where people waited for songthaews to take them to the next town. There was no timetable of departure times so people just waited around until their ride came along.

Our cave day turned out to be amazing. We caught a songthaew and met an English couple who were traveling for a year. The ride to the cave was spectacular. The mountains reminded me of the Grand Canyons due to their majestic scale. There were rivers and lakes where people fished, bathed, and swam.

When we arrived at the cave we strapped on a life jacket and our torch. We took a small wooden boat to get to the entrance of the cave and then hopped on a small motorboat. We had two guides – the one in the back operated the motor and the one in the front watched out for objects that may hit the boat and directed the guy in the back on when to shift the direction of the motor. The river that runs through the cave is 7km long and it is literally pitch black without a torch. The inside of the cave is huge up to 100m in width and height. After traveling for half an hour we got off the boat to admire a few limestone formations. Then it was another half an hour to reach the other end of the cave opening. Seeing the light at the opening has a Shangri-la effect since you are in the dark for a long time. On the return trip back I decided to switch off my torch and enjoy the cool, dark tunnel-like cave. We traveled a long way to reach the cave and it was well worth it.

We spent the evening relaxing at the restaurant and met Franco, an Italian engineer working in Laos. He spent 11 years in Taiwan and gave us the names of pizzerias to visit in Taipei. Jon is very excited about visiting Taipei.