Leg 1: The Legendary Thakhek Loop

Thakhek Loop is a 350 km off the beaten track loop in central Lao. There were many sights along the way such as: caves, temples, viewpoints, and hikes. Around 11:30am we started the 1st leg of the loop.

Craig and I headed east on Route 12 towards Nakay. Even in the rain the karst peaks were dramatic. We made a left turn off to Thma Nong Pa Fa (Buddha Cave) and a smaller cave (cannot remember the name.)

There was wooden bridge to the smaller cave with missing planks, loose planks, broken or missing hand rails. We make it across safely - see pic. We warned a French couple who approached as we came back across.

The reason we stated late was due to the irregular rain during dry season. The rain didn’t stop before leaving town. It ended up being quite cold and miserable towards the end. However, we made the best .40 purchase ever - gloves! We were rewarded with dramatic mountain scenery even with the clouds and rain.

Anyway, 112 km and six hours later, we arrived in Nakay, in the dark, cold, soaking wet, at our stay for the evening. Couldn’t be happier to find shelter from the rain for the rest of the night. The accommodation was basic and had mosquito nets, and you can see how we hung up our wet clothes inside to dry them off - sort of…

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