Today it is cloudy, however we rented some bikes to tour the area. We had breakfast on the way.
Vang Vieng Resort entrance
Vang Vieng is a small city whose attraction is its surroundings, impossible very narrow wooden bridges that with the flooding of the Nam Song River disappear, limestone mountains and jungle that are born suddenly, rice fields and hundreds of caves to visit. Many people go kayaking or "Tubing" (descending the river on a drinking tyre).
Nam Song river bridge
Views from Tham Jang cave
They leave us a map of the city and some nearby caves and we set off. Our first stop is the Tham Jang cave, we have to cross a footbridge for which we have to pay, they don't let the bike through. A staircase goes up to the entrance, it is full of buddhas and a spring.
Interior Tham Jang cave
Interior Tham Jang cave
We continue, we have to cross another bridge for which we are charged again (in all bridges you have to pay toll), by the Maylyn Guest House, the bridge has a pile made with a missile casing. It is common in Laos to find houses or bridges on missile-case piles.
Another bridge
Children playing
The road is quite bad and our bikes are not bad at all. The landscape is beautiful, the green rice fields contrast with the limestone rocks and mountains.
Rice fields
The road forks and we take the one on the right, the sign reads very badly. We asked a crazy if it is Blue Lagoon the cave we are looking for tells us that yes, although it gives the feeling that we do not understand. He tells us that we have to pay and he guides us, we accept, we leave the bikes with his family.
Our guide
The path is beautiful we go into the jungle, after a while we arrived at the entrance, a Korean accompanies us. On the way, a couple who just left says that we will love.
Road to Blue Lagoon
She offers us flashlights. We follow him, we arrived at a room with several Buddhas, our guide controls, takes us through very narrow corridors, we arrived at a room full of stalactites and stalagmites that to access you have to pass through a hole and tells us that is the Blue Lagoon, but we are not convinced, I do not think anyone bathe, is very nice but it is frozen.
Interior of the cave
We continue and the path is increasingly narrower, there comes a time when the Korean is very nervous because you have to crawl through the mud because we can not fit in the corridor.
Interior of the cave
Finally we go out, the experience is great but it's not what we were looking for, we feel a little bit cheated. He asks us for double the money and of course we give him the official price 15.000 LAK. He gets angry and doesn't accompany us on the way back. No problem, it's easy to get to the bikes.
Our Korean friend
It starts raining but we continue, the Korean girl joins us. We meet a Frenchman and his daughter and they tell us that the cave we are looking for is about three kilometers away, a while later we arrive to Ban Na Thong village to visit Tham Phu Kham cave.
Blue Lagoon in Tham Phu Kham
At the entrance to the Korean cave they don't want to let her in because they say they don't have any changes, we pay her the entrance and tell her not to worry about enjoying it, but she is perplexed, I think she is not used to being invited, here is the swimming pool. Our friend does not want to go up to the cave. The place is pretty cool. We cross the bamboo footbridge and go up the stairs to the cave, it's very steep and you have to help yourself to a vine.
Rise to Tham Phu Kham
The cave is full of Buddhas again, we don't want to explore it anymore and we go for a swim in the lagoon (actually it's an overhang of the river) although the current is strong. We rest in a kind of attic with mats and roof in the meadow.
Surroundings Tham Phu Kham
Surroundings Tham Phu Kham
We see some kids playing a kind of volleyball, known as Sepak Takraw, with a ball made of rattan with a net in the middle but playing with their feet, they are quite good at it.
Rice fields
Rice fields
We go back to Vang Vieng enjoying the road. We say goodbye to the Korean woman who insists that she has to pay us back somehow, we tell her not to worry that she doesn't have to and she finally gets her peace of mind.
Man with a cattle
Road
Missile casing
We take a shower, in the river we see a bamboo footbridge fallen in the middle of the river where people cross the river.
Bamboo footbridge
We have dinner in the same place as breakfast, we have a beer and a lime juice in one of the bars where you can see Friends. It starts raining like the sky is breaking, we go home soaked.
Breakfast: 35,000 LAK 2 pax.
Bike rental: 30.000 LAK.
Drinks: 20.000 LAK.
Caves: 40.000 LAK. (in all the caves you have to pay, it is advisable to bring small change).
Cave guide: 30.000 LAK 2 pax.
Bridges: 2.000 LAK per pax.
Accommodation: Organic Garden Guest House 80.000 LAK bungalow with double room with bathroom.
Dinner: 36.000 LAK 2 pax.
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