Down and Dirty

                                                     I got this misty gem about six thirty. 

I got out of bed at nine and after a shower and shave I headed straight down to the family guy bar for breakfast and to get charged up on coffee. The restaurant at my Guest House has very ordinary food and packet coffee. 

I bought another pair of those thongs (Billabong) from the same shop again so I have a “back up” pair. They have an arch support and after a couple of days my toes and heels settle into grooves making them very comfortable and good for my back. I know this seems like a minor detail but it makes a world of difference in my day to day. I also bought them today because I’m going trekking again and it will be a good chance to wear them in. 

This really was the best place to spend my last few days in Laos. It has the party people in the main street, it has quiet spots on the river where you can go for a swim, my Guest House has a great view over the river and mountains and is far enough from the party zone that I can escape to the quiet and most of the country being made of limestone, where there are mountains there are caves. 

Yesterday we saw two, a small one accidentally and the main one that everyone goes to because it has the “Blue Lagoon” as well as being a stunning cavern. 

I am talking about the south west part of the area, last time I was here I did a half day cave trek in the north west area and saw four but you need to get a ride out there it is more than ten kilometres, from the south end the last cave is only seven kilometres, that’s how far we trekked yesterday (and back – and some side tracking). 

Yesterday I saw a sign for a cave with a Buddha in it so that is my main goal today and not far from that one is the “diamond mine” cave, I decided to take my small back pack today and I’m walking by eleven.

I leave the main road and walk along a dry river bed for about half a kilometre before I come to the “toll booth”, all these places have an entrance fee (usually about a dollar twenty). As I keep walking one of the men from the “toll gates” starts following me – dam I was really enjoying the solitude.

I slow down and take some photos so that he passes me. I am aware when I get to the cave he will insist on being my guide so I just resign myself to the fact that “everything for a reason”. 

There are three men at the cave area and I pull out my flashlight before they can hassle me to hire a miners light. I head in and am followed by the guy who walked from the “toll gate”, he’s trying to be helpful and pointing things out but I am after some solitude and I have found Buddha and just want some time to myself to thank “O beautiful one”. He finally gets it and switches off his torch and moves a distance away.  

Ok I’ve had my “alone time”, I’m going to have to pay this guy so show me what you’ve got. He leads me to a plank going over a crevasse and I really don’t want to go any further but he insists so I make him go first. 

I’m just going to go along with him until I’ve had enough. He leads me deep into the cave and the crawl spaces start to get really narrow, the kind of tight space where you think “if there was a slight earth tremor right now this would be my final resting place” I tell him I don’t want to go any further a couple of times but he keeps saying “just one minute” “big cave”.  

I trust there is something worth getting to and I’m covered in dirt now so it hardly matters anymore so I keep following him. It dawns on me in a moment of clarity that I’m having quite an adventure and it suddenly becomes fun so I bring some enthusiasm to the table. 

After passing my bag through the smallest gap so far then squeeze myself through, something strange has happened, we are back where we started! I feel great now, I didn’t want to have to crawl all the way back through those spaces again. He asks for money and I give him about six dollars (fifty thousand Kip).

After a cigarette I walk the one and a half kilometres back to the main road and walk a bit further up the track to the turn off for the “Diamond Mine” cave and “Lagoon”. This one is about two kilometres from the main road and the scenery is stunning and I am all alone, serenity. 

Through forest and rice fields I reach the “Lagoon”, it’s crystal clear but only about knee deep and not very large but I’m going up to see the cave first. Sensible Simon takes over immediately because I am all alone miles from anyone (the “toll gate” at this one was abandoned – can’t be very popular) and the climb up is fairly difficult at times which means going down will be even worse, one slip and I could be in all sorts of trouble so I take it painfully slow and easy. 

By the time I reach the entrance I am exhausted and stop for a cigarette and to appreciate the limited view through the surrounding forest. There are some very impressive natural structures in this cave including an enormous “wedding cake” in the middle of the first cavern. 

I don't know if you can tell from this shot but that drop is at least three different caverns I can see going down.

As I get back to the second cavern I switch off my torch and it is so very pitch black. I have to do this a few times to take some photos, you’ll have to excuse the quality of them, all I could do was put the flash on “auto” and aim the camera into the dark, it is so cool having this all to myself.  

I climb down to the lagoon, jump in, cool off and freshen up a bit for the walk back to town. 

I arrive back about four thirty, tidy myself up and go for a massage. After that I head down the street for dinner, I feel like Indian and have a great Chicken Tikka Masala at Nazims. After dinner I go across to the family guy bar and watch an hour or so of TV before I go back to my TV-less room and again, have to sort through today’s photos and get it down to a reasonable amount to upload, another splendid day.