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 moments on the journey from 4000 Islands to Vang Vieng which is seared into my memory. The other moment was the return journey from Kong Lor cave to our accommodation, standing on the back of a sorng taa ou and watching the sun set over the mountains (below).
Those two moments paint the picture any traveller would want to share. And it is because of pictures such as these that people rightly think that travelling is continual fun and smooth sailing. But in reality this is rarely the case. Often your enjoyment is affected by such things as your ability to get things done, but also by the company you keep; and as a solo traveller, the latter was particularly hit and miss.
During the journey from 4000 Islands to Thakhek (the launch pad to Kong Lor cave) I was reacquainted with some Brits and a German couple (all around 18-21 in age) whom I briefly met while kayaking in 4000 Islands. They soon gave 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 was something about the anonymity of it that I found attractive (I later became so fond 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 the context of a general traveller scene that was young, care free and free spirited - such pairings could only work temporarily.
While travelling I was also conscious of the fact that when you become part of a crowd, you soon feel stuck and pressurised to go with the flow, which is anathema to the independent-minded. However, in the absence of other obvious options, I would stick with these guys.
On the day we arrived in Thakhek we arrived so late that the lodge 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 to me thus far in my travels, but not an unwelcome change.
The journey to Kong Lor Cave the next day was a long and tiring 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 the town of Ban Khoun Kham (also known as Ban Nahin). These taxis were very hard to travel on. They had wooden benches crammed with people on them, including some poor chickens that were positioned in cages on the outside of the vehicle in rather unethical conditions.
By the time we reached the cave it was mid-afternoon. Not having eaten lunch I was keen that we ate. My fellow travellers on the other hand were very adamant that we move on, to get to the cave, get something to eat once we had finished, and then return to the town of Ban Khoun Kham (some one hour away), and from there get on a coach to Vientiane, some 5 ½ hours away, via a nightbus, and then onwards to Vang Vieng, another 3 ½ hours away!
They were clearly ambitious, but I wasn’t keen for my travels to be characterised by frantic journeying from place to place. I had in mind taking my time, assimilating with locals, spending time to write, etc. You cannot respect a place, its people and its culture if you simply view your travels as a tick box exercise. Anyway, rant over. After all the racing about we ended up staying the night in Ban Khoun Kham because we ran out of time. I won.
The cave itself, given the arduousness of the journey getting there, was a bit of a damp squib. The cave is famous for being 7.5km long, 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 could scarcely 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 the experience. But I wonder whether they are easily amused, or simply relieved to get to the destination. Or am I just a wet blanket?
Ironically the highlight of the experience came at the very end, as the boat returned to the mouth of the cave. Out of the darkness a vista opened up revealing the outside entrance in all its glory. That scene is the main 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 an uncomfortable vehicle to travel in, was suddenly perfect. The absence of any other people in the vehicle allowed us to hang on from the back, and we had an unfettered view of the glorious sunset.
It’s worth mentioning that this is generally a very scenic area, and many travellers spend three or four days here doing “The Loop”, a motorbike journey spanning some 500km. With more time, and perhaps a travelling partner, this would be a truly memorable experience.
We eventually settled into some ramshackle digs. Amidst the otherworldy surroundings it was easy to forget that there were other things going in the world. Late that evening Germany would play Portugal in the World Cup, and my fellow German travellers were understandably pleased with the 4-0 result.
The following day, in a bid to recapture my independence I asked the others to continue without me. Ostensibly this was on account of my diarrhoea. But in reality, even without my tummy turbulence I just needed to regain control and take things at my pace.
An hour later I made my own way to the next destination, Vang Vieng, Laos’ tubing capital.