Riding (most of) the Thakek Loop

Our evening ride wasn’t the most comfortable, with the first sleeper bus having two people to a small bed. All of us foreigners were put together in beds, so James and I had to share, as did Juriaan and Frank. Needless to say there was nowhere near enough space for all of us to stretch out together, so we ended up crammed together and trying to bend in all sorts of ways where we might actually be able to sleep. After enduring this for a while, with intermittent naps, we were dropped off at a bus station in Vientiane a little after 2 am, with another bus scheduled for 3:30 from another bus station across town. We got a tuk tuk to the other station, dropping James off for a flight the next day near downtown. Our next bus didn’t have beds, but getting a padded seat each improved our chances of getting some rest. By 7 or 8 am, I had woken up, and the bus had started blaring loud Lao music over the interior speakers, keeping my odds of any more rest low. We stopped at a roadside fuel stall where I got a delicious local sausage flavored with ginger and lemongrass, and was given some sticky rice to pair it with by another bus rider. Eventually we arrived in Thakek around 1 pm, not very well rested but thrilled to be off the bus and away from the loud music keeping us all awake. The town is most famous among tourists for a beautiful motorcycle loop passing through the nearby and national park and imposing limestone schist topography. I had mentioned potentially doing the route with the group to Tim (from all the way back in Phuket, Thailand), who it turned out was also heading into town with the same plan just a day before. He had decided to wait for us, so we met up with him at a nice hostel in town, then proceeded to explore the town for the evening. Still unsure if I would join, I discussed the loop with the others, and was happy to find that we would have two very experienced riders in the group (Tim and Juriaan) as well as other relative novices (Frank, a Dutch girl named Sanne that Tim had introduced us to at the hostel, and of course myself). With the assurance that we would take it slow and that none of the terrain would be particularly difficult, I decided to accompany the others on the adventure the next morning. We reserved our bikes that night, had a delicious dinner at the street market, and all got an early night’s sleep to prepare for the big day tomorrow. The next morning, a substantial rainstorm came in just as we planned to leave, so we decided to get breakfast in town and push back the beginning of our ride until the rain had calmed down. Once the clouds began to clear and the rain stopped, around 11 am, we all picked up our bikes, did a small test drive around the block, and set off out of town and onto the famed Thakek loop. Before we had even gotten gas (local rental culture includes bikes that start with the bare minimum of gas, with no expectation of gas when they’re returned), we saw a local rider hit the pavement on a city street. He got up and moved on without apparent injury after we and a couple locals helped his bike up, but this only redoubled my caution and reminded me that even slight carelessness could result in serious problems. Luckily we filled up our gas and then made it out of town with no incidents, and quickly reached our first destination, a pair of caves both found at the end of a dirt road just off of the main circuit. We started with the (a) Buddha cave, a small cave with a tiny entrance halfway up a mountain that opened up onto a space with numerous Buddha statues and a strict no photo policy. The floors were all covered in bamboo mats and there were numerous intricate origami patterns folded out of small local bills. We all enjoyed the space, and took turns ringing a gong there with the permission of the attendant before heading off to find the other cave. This one took a little more searching, but we eventually found it, and the remnants of a now defunct kayak rental program that would take visitors with the time and inclination several kilometers deep into an aquatic cave system. Unfortunately, there were a few dead fish rotting in the standing water, so we didn’t even feel comfortable swimming in the cave, and enjoyed the minimal amount we could access from the rocky entrance. With our time ticking away, especially after our fairly late stop, we headed back to our bikes waiting in the almost abandoned lot. Here we stumbled upon a group of three, also having just started the loop, and got to talking with them. They included a British guy named Roben, as well as two Swiss girls, friends from home named Robyn and Mara. Hitting it off and heading in the same direction, our groups set off together with plans to find lunch as soon as possible. We found a small soup spot on the side of the road not long after, and all sat down to enjoy the only option on the menu (pictured, left to right, me, Tim, Mara, Robyn). After indulging in our delicious and long awaited lunch, we set off to find another nearby cave. This one was far closer to the road and much more explorable, with three different exits (that we found) and dry routes along small beaches and rocks between all of them. After exploring for a little longer than we maybe should have, we noticed the time and rushed to our bikes, hoping to make it to our destination for the evening, Thalang.

With the sun setting quickly behind the mountains and clouds, we rode for a while with only a brief stop for some sunset views. Luckily the light held for a while and we only had a small bit of riding in the dark, though once I took off my riding sunglasses the bugs and dirt hitting my face posed an interesting new challenge. I also got to develop my skills a little bit by making my way up a hill with switchbacks, managing steering around tight turns as well as downshifting for the power I needed to make it up the hill. The group got a little separated by the very end, as a few of us stopped to put on jackets and others, but not all, circled back to make sure they were okay. By the time we made it to our hostel for the evening it was completely dark, and Juriaan, Sanne, Roben, and I were the only ones in my group. Due to some inaccurate google maps, the others had overshot the turnoff to our place, and we all reunited before we turned down a short dirt road leading into the town of Thalang and towards our hostel. We pulled into a lot filled with bikes and disembarked just in time for a delicious all you can eat evening barbecue with all of the other riders there that evening. I was feeling a little under the weather with plugged sinuses, so after we ate I took an early night in, hoping to feel better and alert the next morning. I could already feel myself getting more confident on the bike, and while proud of my incident free progress, remained extremely wary that a mistake could be quite dangerous, and that I was very much still a novice. In the morning, I woke up quite early and enjoyed the solitude of the hostel as the sun began to rise above the horizon. I took a walk around the small town of Thalang, enjoying the riverside and ingratiating myself with some of the local dogs. After getting a sense of the nearby land and waving hello to some of the locals, I made my way back to the hostel and greeted my companions as they all awoke and started to get ready for the day ahead.

We started riding fairly early the next day, and made good time on the route to a spot known as Dragon Cave. We started exploring by making our way to the main cave’s entrance, then across a subterranean boardwalk with fish underfoot, onto a cramped beach requiring even the shorter people to duck their way through. Eventually the cave opened up into a massive cavern filled with beautiful formations of incredible size. From the main cavern, we took a sizable staircase up to another opening, then continued our way up a sheer face to a view of the road and surrounding scenery. After taking some time to enjoy the breeze, we started making our way down the hill, explored a Buddha cave on the side of the mountain, and then finally made our way back to our bikes.

Our next stop was an attraction called the cool pool, with an associated restaurant where we ate lunch. As we ate, the next table was full of several locals drinking beer and singing karaoke. After we finished eating, we joined them for a little bit and sang some karaoke before heading off on our way to the actual pool. As we left, they repeatedly tried to insist on giving us some beers, and eventually even money. We ended up taking a couple of closed beers for the road, and made it out without taking any of their money, though they did manage to add one of the girls on facebook. The pool itself was aptly named, situated above a cold spring with beautiful clear water. We hopped in and appreciated the refreshing water, and though I couldn’t get under the water with my sinuses still feeling a little plugged up, I enjoyed just swimming around and watching the others jump off of the rocks with all sorts of flips and dives. Eventually we headed off, back onto the road, hoping to make it to Konglor that evening. We had a long afternoon of riding, over quite a few wooden bridges and through several small towns, evading herds of cows making their way across the road. Eventually we made it to our accommodations just as the sun set completely, avoiding any riding in the dark. We had a nice evening with dinner at a nearby restaurant, then we all went to bed, excited to explore the nearby caves the next day. I once again woke up before most of the others, and set off for a little walk into the nearby forest. Following little roads and trails back into the forest, presumably leading to other houses farms and pastures, I saw quite a bit of interesting nature (tons of ants!) and lots of locals starting out their day. I returned to join the others for breakfast and then we set off towards the nearby Konglor Cave. This was a highly recommended cave, featuring a massive river stretching more than 7km through a mountain, and emerging near a small village on the other side. We boarded small boats, three of us in each alongside one driver. As we motored our way into the cave, the natural light disappeared and was replaced by the dim glow of our headlights, barely able to reach the distant sides and ceiling of the cave. On a few instances, they dropped us off to walk through lit up sections of the cave, filled with incredible formations.

We continued through the cave for more than an hour, marveling at formations and occasionally stepping out to help the long skinny boats through shallow sections. Eventually we reached the far side of the cavern, and took some time to walk around enjoying the scenery before we returned to our boats for the journey back through the cave. We had one new stop on the way back, with some of the biggest formations in a massive section of the cave with tremendous vaulted ceilings. Eventually we made it back to our bikes, intent on putting some kilometers behind us before the end of the day. Manon needed to set off separately for Thakek in order to make a flight, but we had heard of another impressive cave a little more off of the beaten path, and with the help of google the rest of us made our way down a narrow, muddy road branching off from one of the small towns along the route. This was some of the most technical driving I had done at this point, so I focused on keeping my gear low and throttle controlled as we slipped and slid along a path between small farms and simple homes. Eventually we reached the end, and without an obvious entrance in sight, walked around for some time looking for the opening into the cave. Eventually, after a few false starts, we found a dry riverbed that led into a massive opening in the side of the looming rock wall that stood above us. We ran into a few local children who had been swimming in a small pool just inside of the cave, and after saying hello and doing our best to communicate with them a little bit, we walked our way up the riverbed and into the darkness. We walked almost an hour along the riverbed, reliant on our phone flashlights after the first 15 minutes or so. The chasm remained massive, but remarkably walkable the entire time. Eventually, with no end in sight, we noticed the time and decided we would have to turn around to avoid riding in the dark once again. Sad that we couldn’t have had an entire day just to explore how deep this cave went, but without any gear to sleep on our own, we made our way back to our bikes and negotiated our way over the slippery road all the way back to the paved surface of the main route. We then rode for another hour or so before we arrived in the town of Nahin, and split up to find a place that could accommodate all of us. Before too long we found a small spot with good prices and settled in. We grabbed dinner and enjoyed the town amidst a few power outages, but after a long day full of beautiful caves and exploration, we were all happy to take a shower and head to bed.

The next morning we rode together for a little while to a nearby ropes course and viewpoint before Tim set off on his own, planning to complete the loop that day. The others, including me, had decided to double back, as the last leg of the loop was a fairly busy highway, and currently under construction, leading to lots of traffic and not so much natural beauty. Relishing having a little extra time, the rest of us decided to splurge on the ropes course and see the wonderful views of the surrounding mountains ($30!). Complete with a harness and helmet, staying clipped into wires the whole time, we climbed over the jagged rocks, zip-lined, and walked over rope netting, all while taking in the scenic views surrounding us. After we completed the course, we took our time to enjoy lunch with a view of the rocks, then set off riding once again, hoping to make it back to Tha Lang by dark. We had another quick stop at the cool pool to refresh ourselves, and another quick hiatus on the side of the road to admire a beautiful rainbow just as the sun was setting. Eventually we made it back to our previous hostel in Tha Lang, just in time for the evening barbecue, and with only about half an hour of riding with our lights on. Once again tired after so many busy days, we enjoyed the barbecue and some new company before we all crashed into bed. The next day I woke up, had a delicious rice soup, and we all departed early. We were intent on making it back quickly in order to catch a bus to Pakse, a town further south with another motorcycle loop known for its beauty. We made it back into Thakek in good time and without any incident, completing our loop with a just about perfect record. Feeling a little emboldened (but of course still cautious) and excited to continue developing my skills with the group, I joined them on a late night bus to the south, excited to see more of such a beautiful country in such a fun way.