The Thakhek Loop Gang
With very rough plans and inaccurate directions from our phones, we kept an eye out for signs to our destinations. Down a dusty road, we walked out into the heat of the day looking for our first cave. Problem was the trail just kept branching with no signs to direct us. We eventually came across a couple who said they couldn’t find it either; They directed us to a nearby lake which had a very picturesque dock viewpoint (Tham Pa Fa).
With our next stop, we actually found our destination—a large cave tucked away behind a farm. Navigating the rocky formations of this tall and wide cave, it was long before we saw light entering from the other end of its massive S curve. Looking back at our entrance, there was a human-like stalagmite standing eerily motionless on a perch high above (Xieng Liap Cave).
The next stop had a sprawling cave filled with stairs that felt like something out of an MC Escher drawing. Some of the caverns were light up oddly with bright colors making it feel like the place was meant for a rave or something. Further in, a river could be found with colorful row boats waiting—though the cave lights kept going off and on…possibly signaling that the place was closing. We approached the opening and found that a downpour of rain was flowing in violently with the strong wind. The first rain we’ve seen in all of Asia had suddenly shown up while we were exploring the underground (Tham Nang Aen Cave).
After staying in the small town of Thakhek in central Laos a couple nights, Ania and I rented a motorcycle and set off on the sparsely researched Thakhek Loop. The loop is known for its many caves and those amazing limestone mountains that I’ve come to associate this part of the world with.
Our room on the second floor had a balcony curving around a corner overlooking the final junction of the town’s main road as it reached the Mekong river. The way the entire town seemed to extend from this single street junction gave the place a sort of an old western feel. Drenched in the orange light of the street lamps, the town went quiet at night. We frequented the nearby restaurant and cafe which lit up the dark streets next to the wide river. Lights from the larger city on the other side of the river reflected onto the calm waters reaching out as far as they could.
Heading out on the loop after a couple restful days, we hesitantly rented a semi-automatic motorcycle due to my inexperience with anything manual. I’ll just say right now, that was the best choice—by the end of the road trip I was having so much fun stomping that gear pedal down as I quickly shifted through the low gears.
Seeking shelter and a snack, we approached a small cafe surrounded by puddles under the drenched trees—and that is when we met them: the people who we would spend the next few days with traveling around the loop. Harrison and Kirsty from England—one of those couples that entertainingly drive each other crazy—and Roman from Germany. Roman is a real character; Traveling alone with no phone, this dude was a lot of fun just to wait and see what he’d do next. We waited together in that small cafe situated in the trees until the rain died down.
Rolling out together, that was the start of our Thakhek Loop biker gang; Always riding out in front, Roman soon became our gang leader. We rode out late into the night…bugs in the face and nothing but our headlights to guide us. We eventually found a quiet guesthouse to stay the night.
With a late start after breakfast, a stop at another cave (Dragon Cave) and a cold swimming spring, it wasn’t long till the sun started to go down. Once again, we had a lot of driving in the dark to do. The bright red sun slowly dipped below the mountains as we raced South to a town situated in the center of the loop. Being the only one not carrying a passenger, Roman lead the way navigating the dirt road and the hazardous pot-holes dotting its paved sections…again, my face caught a lot of bugs.
This small town was home to the loop’s biggest attraction: Kong Lor Cave. This cave is actually a 4.3 mile (7km) natural tunnel in which you can take a boat ride through! With everyone equipped with headlamps, we took motorized longboats through the otherwise unlit tunnel. The river twisted through caverns small and large; The boatman navigated the many obstacles offered by the shallow nature of the river.
Reaching the other end, we walked down a dusty road into a nearby village. A local family invited us over and Harrison had fun torturing himself with their hot sauce—a good way to connect with people you can’t speak a word with. Ania and I started taking photos of the shy kids who never smiled for the camera—a sign of how far removed from pop-culture their lives are. Not wanting to drive in the dark again, Roman decided to stay in the town for the night with plans to meet us the next morning at a waterfall further down the road.
Once again, having a late start to the day, we headed out down a dirt road to the waterfall a couple hours past our meetup time. With dwindling hope that we’d ever find Roman again—there he was parked on the side of the road getting ready to leave. He had already been to the waterfall and the girls didn’t feel like hiking, so Harrison and I went into the jungle alone.
Much like my first outing on the loop, the trail kept branching with few signs. We got lost more than once and even left the trail all together climbing the large boulders which made up the dry river. We were already gone for far too long and I had to navigate finding our route and catering to Harrison’s endless persistence to start a conversation—a common struggle the whole group (especially Kirsty) would bring up often. Eventually reaching the waterfall, I quickly dipped into a clean shallow pool where the water was flowing to escape the heat (Nam Sanam Waterfall).
We eventually made our way back out of that dense jungle and got on the road again with the full gang. This was the day we had to cover the greatest distance blazing South to finish the loop back in Thakhek. Driving late into the night per usual and just a little further to go, I noticed my bike developed a strange wobble—the back tire had gone flat. Asking around, we eventually found a shop which was just about to close up. Got the tire’s tube replaced and we made it safely back to Thakhek that night.
I feel I’ve truly mastered driving a motorcycle through the great distance covered and the difficult conditions. The friendships built across the miles driven were easily the best part of the trip. That’s my adventure on the Thakhek Loop…being a part of the road’s most interesting biker gang!