DAYS 50-52 “IN SEARCH OF KONG LOR CAVE: OR A MOMENT FOR INTROSPECTION”The image of Kong Lor cave abo

DAYS 50-52 “IN SEARCH OF KONG LOR CAVE: OR A MOMENT FOR INTROSPECTION”The image of Kong Lor cave above captures one of two momentson the journey from 4000 Islands to Vang Vieng which is seared into my memory. The other moment was the return journey fromKong Lor cave to our accommodation, standing on the back of a sorng taa ou and watching the sun set overthe mountains (below). Those two moments paint the picture any traveller would wantto share. And it is because of pictures such as these that people rightly thinkthat travelling is continual fun and smooth sailing. But in reality this israrely the case. Often your enjoyment is affected by such things as your ability to get thingsdone, but also by the company you keep; and as a solo traveller, the latter wasparticularly hit and miss.During the journey from 4000 Islands to Thakhek (the launchpad to Kong Lor cave) I was reacquainted with some Brits and a German couple (allaround 18-21 in age) whom I briefly met while kayaking in 4000 Islands. They soongave me the moniker “Timmy”, a character from some American soap (Rules of Engagement?)to whom I apparently had a likeness. I didn’t mind the name Timmy, there wassomething about the anonymity of it that I found attractive (I later became sofond of it that I interchanged it with my own name during my travels). However, in spite of the friendliness of these fellow-travellers, their kinship could only be transient. As a traveller with a few more grey hairs (not too many though!), and with different priorities -  in thecontext of a general traveller scene that was young, care free and free spirited-  such pairings could only worktemporarily. While travelling I was also conscious of the fact that when you become part of a crowd, you soon feel stuck and pressurisedto go with the flow, which is anathema to the independent-minded. However, inthe absence of other obvious options, I would stick with these guys.On the day we arrived in Thakhek we arrived so late that thelodge we had planned to stay at had closed its doors, so we were left a little stranded.We ended up staying at a very comfortable hotel, a rather foreign experience tome thus far in my travels, but not an unwelcome change. The journey to Kong Lor Cave the next day was a long andtiring one, but at least it was authentic. We ended up taking a sorng taa ou to the last roadworthy junction,after which we took another one to thetown of Ban Khoun Kham (also known as Ban Nahin). These taxis were very hard to travel on. They had wooden benchescrammed with people on them, including some poor chickens that were positioned incages on the outside of the vehicle in rather unethical conditions. By the time we reached the cave it was mid-afternoon. Nothaving eaten lunch I was keen that we ate. My fellow travellers on the otherhand were very adamant that we move on, to get to the cave, get something toeat once we had finished, and then return to the town of Ban Khoun Kham (someone hour away), and from there get on a coach to Vientiane, some 5 ½ hoursaway, via a nightbus, and then onwards to Vang Vieng, another 3 ½ hours away! They were clearly ambitious, but I wasn’t keen for mytravels to be characterised by frantic journeying from place to place. I had inmind taking my time, assimilating with locals, spending time to write, etc. Youcannot respect a place, its people and its culture if you simply view your travelsas a tick box exercise. Anyway, rant over. After all the racing about we endedup staying the night in Ban Khoun Kham because we ran out of time. I won.The cave itself, given the arduousness of the journeygetting there, was a bit of a damp squib. The cave is famous for being 7.5kmlong, and can only be traversed by boat in pitch dark, aided by helmet lights.I was allured by the stories of fist sized spiders in the cave. The novelty of the experience soon wore off as one couldscarcely see anything - and the fabled spiders were notable by their absence.There was a brief moment where we got to see some stalagmites and stalactites,but they were hardly unusual features in a cave.A great many people have written glowingly about theexperience. But I wonder whether they are easily amused, or simply relieved toget to the destination. Or am I just a wet blanket?Ironically the highlight of the experience came at the veryend, as the boat returned to the mouth of the cave. Out of the darkness a vistaopened up revealing the outside entrance in all its glory. That scene is themain image of this page, and there’s no denying that it’s glorious.The journey back to Ban Khoun Kham was also glorious. The sorng taa ou, which had been such anuncomfortable vehicle to travel in, was suddenly perfect. The absence of anyother people in the vehicle allowed us to hang on from the back, and we had anunfettered view of the glorious sunset.It’s worth mentioning that this is generally a very scenicarea, and many travellers spend three or four days here doing “The Loop”, amotorbike journey spanning some 500km. With more time, and perhaps a travellingpartner, this would be a truly memorable experience.We eventually settled into some ramshackle digs. Amidst theotherworldy surroundings it was easy to forget that there were other thingsgoing in the world. Late that evening Germany would play Portugal in the WorldCup, and my fellow German travellers were understandably pleased with the 4-0result. The following day, in a bid to recapture my independence Iasked the others to continue without me. Ostensibly this was on account of mydiarrhoea. But in reality, even without my tummy turbulence I just needed toregain control and take things at my pace. An hour later I made my own way to the next destination,Vang Vieng, Laos’ tubing capital. -- source link

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